Jordan Addison’s box score doesn’t tell the full story, and right now that’s the point.
Through two games, the Minnesota Vikings wide receiver has just two catches on seven targets for 21 yards. On paper, that’s the kind of start that jumps out for the wrong reasons, especially for a player chasing a bigger contract and a possible extension with Minnesota soon. But the stat line only captures part of what Addison has been doing.
The passing game hasn’t exactly given him much help. Kyler Murray got hurt in the Week 1 win over the Green Bay Packers, and Carson Wentz had to deal with rain in the Week 2 victory over the Chicago Bears. That weather took away almost any real chance for Addison to make noise as a receiver, but it also revealed another part of his game.
He showed up in the run game.
With Jordan Mason on injured reserve, there were real questions about whether Minnesota could hold up on the ground against Chicago. Instead, the Vikings answered with 119 rushing yards and a 4.3-yard average in the win. Addison was part of that effort, doing the kind of work that doesn’t show up in flashy highlight packages but absolutely matters to a coaching staff.
Kevin O'Connell pointed that out Monday when he spoke to reporters. The Vikings head coach said Addison is putting in the kind of work that helps teams win while waiting for his chances as a receiver.
"What jumped out to me was Jordan Addison blocking. His time's coming as far as the, you know, registering the things he's capable of in the stat column.
[He] had some chances over the top yesterday, but it just wasn't the type of game where you were going to be launching at 55, 60 yards down the field.
But his willingness to go do some things in the run game, specifically with Jauan out, and then he had a punch-out on what could have been an interception on that first drive.
Didn't even catch it during the game, but seeing him punch that ball off 12 from being able to maybe double-catch that thing ensured us getting the three points.
So he's doing a bunch of winning, game-winning things, and his time is coming."
That’s the part worth watching with Addison. He hasn’t complained about the lack of targets or production. Instead, he’s stayed locked in and helped the Vikings build a rushing attack that ranks 13th in the league at 113 yards per game.
That kind of approach gets noticed. It earns trust.
And in time, it usually gets rewarded. Addison’s receiving numbers will have to climb, but for now the Vikings are getting value from him in ways that don’t show up first in the stat column.
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