Dallas Turner’s name was all over the Minnesota Vikings’ wild win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, and not just because of the box score.
Minnesota had already been leaning on its defense as the game started to slip away, with the offense struggling after Kyler Murray left with a head injury on the Vikings’ second drive. By the third quarter, plenty of fans had probably started looking for the exit. Green Bay had pushed the lead to 22-10 with less than seven minutes left in the third, and the game felt like it was tilting hard in the Packers’ direction.
Then came the play that flipped everything.
On a Packers possession, Turner was on the field for special teams a snap before the momentum shift. What was supposed to be a 4th-and-6 field goal became 4th-and-1 after Turner jumped offsides. Matt LaFleur decided to keep the offense out there, and Minnesota answered with the 4th-down stop that changed the night.
Turner didn’t actually make that stop. He didn’t need to. He had already done plenty by setting the stage for it, and then he kept wrecking the Packers after that.
The third-year pass rusher and former first-round pick finished with a team-high 9 QB pressures, along with 1 sack and 6 QB hits in 56 defensive snaps. PFF also gave him the second-best grade on the Vikings, trailing only Justin Jefferson, who posted a 90.3 overall mark.
If you were flipping through the defensive highlights from this one, Turner was everywhere. He kept showing up near the football, and so did Packers quarterback Jordan Love, with Turner involved in play after play.
Dallas Turner’s first game of 2026 was incredible.
9 pressures. 7 QB hits.
Sack + FF. Unreal speed off the edge from the 23-year-old. pic.twitter.com/PmQTIRiY6K
- Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) September 14, 2026
The wait on Turner’s breakout has taken a couple of years, but Sunday looked like the kind of performance that makes the patience pay off. Heading into a season that already felt important, he finally looked like the player Minnesota has been waiting for.
And by the end of the day, it was hard not to look at the bigger picture and think Jonathan Greenard’s summer trade demand may have cracked the door open for Turner. Minnesota didn’t get a Day 1 draft pick out of it, even with Greenard’s production over two seasons, but it did create room for Turner to step in and take over.
On Sunday, he looked more than ready to kick that door down himself.
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