The Minnesota Vikings suffered a total team meltdown in Thursday night’s 37-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Four days after beating themselves against the Eagles, the Vikings traveled to SoFi Stadium and were beaten in every aspect of the game by the Chargers.

There weren’t many standout performances for the Vikings, but there were plenty of duds. We’ll do our best to find three positive individual outings from Thursday night. We will also try to narrow down the three worst performances.

Here are the winners and losers from Thursday’s loss to the Chargers.

Winner: Justin Jefferson

Overshadowed by the overall team performance was Justin Jefferson reaching another NFL milestone. He became the youngest player in NFL history to eclipse 8,000 career receiving yards, passing Randy Moss. No one had done it in fewer games than Jefferson either (84 games), which had previously been held by Julio Jones (85 games). Jefferson caught seven passes for 74 yards against the Chargers.

Loser: Carson Wentz

Carson Wentz made his fifth and perhaps final start for the Vikings on Thursday. It was a painful performance, both literally and figuratively, as Wentz entered the game with a left shoulder injury that has been affecting him since Week 5. He was 15-of-27 passing for only 144 yards, one touchdown, and one interception while taking five sacks and several more hits.

Winner: Jalen Redmond

The Vikings made waves in free agency by signing Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen. But it’s been Jalen Redmond, the third-year ex-XFL defensive lineman, who has been the best interior defender for Minnesota in 2025. His 75.0 PFF grade ranked 3rd among Vikings defenders after he registered nine pressures and two stops. Redmond also deflected a pass that was intercepted by Josh Metellus in the third quarter.

Loser: The secondary

This could be any number of individuals, so we’re going to lump them all together here. Outside of the Metellus interception (which was too little, too late) and an overturned pick-six by Isaiah Rodgers on the Chargers’ opening drive, the Vikings couldn’t stop the Chargers’ passing game. Jeff Okudah got torched on a Ladd McConkey touchdown and registered a team-low 30.2 PFF grade. Harrison Smith looks like he is finished. Theo Jackson’s name hasn’t been mentioned much this year. Even Metellus received a 31.6 PFF grade, second-lowest on the team. It feels like there was a position that needed to be addressed before the trade deadline, and it’s the secondary.

Winner: Jonathan Greenard

Like everyone on the team, Jonathan Greenard has had a tough season in 2025. He entered Thursday’s game with only one sack, narrowly missing on several other occasions. But he brought Herbert down, getting his first sack since Week 2. Greenard had five stops as well, helping earn him a 77.7 PFF grade, second-highest among Vikings defenders. His performance and effort need to be more appreciated in a season where it’d be easy for him to shut down mentally.

Loser: Kevin O’Connell

This is a tough one for me, as I have been a massive Kevin O’Connell fan ever since he arrived. But Thursday may have been the low point of his four-year tenure. The Vikings didn’t run the ball enough, opting to throw on 3rd-and-1 on their opening drive. He could have pulled Wentz at any point in the second half in favor of Max Brosmer but didn’t, even though Wentz was in extreme pain (and was just plain ineffective).

Now, the Vikings sit at 3-4. O’Connell is going to turn back to McCarthy. Can O’Connell finally find the magic that the 2024 team had and get McCarthy to operate the offense like he wants? Or will McCarthy continue to operate an offense that can’t get out of its own way?