Vikings defensive tackle Hercules Mata’afa was tabbed by fans and analysts as a possible starter heading into the 2020 season.
Despite that, Mata’afa didn’t find a ton of playing time early on. Then, in October, the Vikings waived Mata’afa.
Mata’afa was later signed to the team’s practice squad after clearing waivers. He has since become an impactful player on the Vikings defense, ever since the Yannick Ngakoue trade.
Mata’afa has taken on a bigger role during the team’s win streak. As reported by Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune, he has averaged 28 snaps the last three games, all of which resulted in victories.
He recently talked about his up-and-down 2020 season with reporters:
“I had to reevaluate myself and reevaluate how I wanted to be as a player,” Mata’afa said Wednesday, via Krammer. “I wasn’t doing enough to be on the team, so as soon as I signed with the practice squad, I went into that week thinking like, ‘This is it. Like, I’m going to go out and show every day in practice what I can do for this team.'”
He had a tackle for loss and two total tackles in the Chicago game. He doesn’t always show up in the stat sheet, but Mata’afa has been good about bringing pressure in passing downs.
Now, barring anything unexpected, he will be going up against a Cowboys offense that has struggled in the passing game since Dak Prescott went down with an injury. He should have some opportunities for big plays on Sunday.