Vikings’ unsung player of the week: Importance of Brandon Powell goes beyond the box score

The Minnesota Star Tribune spoke to Brandon Powell a little more than a year ago when he was a perpetual NFL roster bubble guy who hated early September because it usually meant he was unpacking his belongings in a new NFL city after being let go somewhere else.

Powell had changed teams six times in six seasons, never by his choice. His goal, he said then, was to put down roots deep enough that maybe, just maybe, he’d make an opening day roster with the same team in three consecutive seasons, or more.

If he keeps stepping up the way he did in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 23-17 upset of the 49ers, Powell may very well reach that goal in Minnesota come 2025.

“My whole career has been this way,” the 5-8, 181-pound receiver said Sunday after converting two key third downs on his only two targets of 2024.

“It’s just ‘stay ready’ when you’re not a starting receiver in this league. Or never really played that much receiver in this league.”

Powell’s performance Sunday would earn him anyone’s Unsung Purple Player of the Week. So we’ll give him that honor here.

The Vikings were leading 20-7 and Aaron Jones was about to cross the goal line to make it a runaway romp when 49ers linebacker Fred Warner punched the ball loose at the goal line to change the game. The 49ers answered with a 99-yard touchdown drive to close to within 20-14.

Three plays later, the Vikings faced third-and-7 from their 33 with 8:59 left in the game.

They were without tight end T.J. Hockenson, who is on injured reserve. They were without No. 2 receiver Jordan Addison, who was inactive with two bum ankles. And they were without all-world receiver Justin Jefferson, who had suffered a thigh contusion in the third quarter.

What they had to the right of Sam Darnold in a tight bunch formation was Jalen Nailor to the inside, Powell in the middle and Trishton Jackson to the outside.

Not exactly the Murderer’s Row of Receivers.

“But there’s nobody in our receiver room that can’t play,” Powell said. “I don’t know what the media says about us, but everybody on my team plays. All six receivers.”

Nailor motioned to the outside spot before the snap. The 49ers’ reaction told Darnold and his receivers that it was man coverage.

The play caused the confusion for the 49ers. “The 49ers totally screwed that whole play up,” Powell said. They didn’t know who was going where.”

Powell looped outside and turned what could have been a scary three-and-out into an 11-yard gain.

Seven plays later, on third-and-2 at the 49ers’ 20, Powell caught a 5-yard pass for another first down as the Vikings continued their 14-play, nearly-seven-minute march to a game-clinching field goal.

“That was a good call by KO,” Powell said, referring to coach Kevin O’Connell. “Man coverage. I don’t know why the DB thought I was running across the field, but I just stopped, sat down, got the catch. First down.”

Powell last year beat out Jalen Reagor for the punt return job. He played 17 games with two starts. He caught a career-high 29 catches for 324 yards and a touchdown while playing a career-high 407 offensive snaps (36%).

He had played well enough to earn another one-year deal worth $2 million. This year, he’s played 62 offensive snaps (57%) while handling the punt return job.

He played 59% of the offensive snaps against the 49ers. The box score whispers that he caught only two passes for 16 yards. But the context and magnitude of those catches, especially the first one, screams loud and clear. The former Florida Gator, who entered the league as an undrafted free agent with Detroit seven seasons ago, might just be putting down some sturdier roots in Minnesota.

Including playoffs, Powell has never played more than 10 games for the same team in consecutive seasons. He did that with the Rams in 2021, playing 10 total games the year L.A. won the Super Bowl, and 2022, playing 17 games before reuniting with O’Connell, the former Rams offensive coordinator, in Minnesota.

“Every time I get in the game and they call my number, make a play,” he said. “That’s what I’ve been doing since college. And I’ve taken it to the League too.”