How Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen Transformed Minnesota’s Defensive Line Overnight

When all eyes are glued to who’ll be under center for the Vikings in 2025, it’s easy to miss the silent revolution happening right in the trenches. Yup, while the quarterback circus spins on, Minnesota quietly rewired both lines—offensive and defensive—swapping out key players in the heart of the action. Monday night was the coming-out party for these fresh faces, and boy, did they show up. I mean, defensive tackles Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen blitzed the Bears’ quarterback more times in a single game than the Vikings’ interior defenders managed all last season combined. That relentless pressure reshaped the game’s closing moments, pushing Chicago’s Caleb Williams into some uncharacteristic misses. Even though the defense sometimes looked like it was moving through molasses and the secondary had its shaky moments, these new linemen kept Minnesota competitive until the offense found its footing. Going forward, they might just be the difference-makers that’ll keep the Vikings in the hunt when the offense hits a lull or help slam the door when the lead’s comfy. You’re gonna wanna keep an eye on this duo. LEARN MORE

With so much focus on the identity of the Vikings’ starting quarterback for 2025, it was easy to overlook upgrades made in an attempt to bolster both lines of scrimmage. Especially in the middle.

On offense, the Vikings have a new center and two new guards. On defense, they have new defensive tackles. And both made a major impact on Monday night.

Consider this stat, from Nick Olsen of VikingsTerritory.com.

Against the Bears, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave had seven quarterback pressures. That’s the most of any interior defensive lineman for Week 1. Defensive tackle Jonathan Allen had six, tied for second most.

Together, that’s 13 in one game.

Last year, the Vikings’ starting defensive tackles — Harrison Phillips and Jonathan Bullard — combined to register 21 quarterback pressures. For the entire season.

Yes, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams consistently ran away from the pressure. As the game went on, however, the constant harassment seemed to affect him. Before the walls could begin to close in, Williams missed a wide-open D.J. Moore for a touchdown, one play after tight end Cole Kmet made an incredible 31-yard catch to put Chicago at the Minnesota 34 with 2:53 to play. If Williams had hit Moore, the Bears would have had much more time to try to force overtime, or perhaps to win the game in regulation.

Although the Vikings’ defense seemed at times to be running in mud — and despite real concerns about the quality of the coverage in the back end — they kept the game close until the offense emerged from a protracted funk. Hargrave and Allen had a lot to do with that.

Moving forward, they could help keep the Vikings in striking distance if/when the offense is sputtering. And they could help slam the door if/when the Vikings are ones up by two scores with 15 minutes to play.