MINNEAPOLIS -- As the clock ticked down before halftime at U.S. Bank Stadium, a group of Minnesota Vikings defenders gathered around cornerback Isaiah Rodgers and waved their hands up and down, as if they were cooling him off with hand-held fans.

Rodgers sat on the bench, trying to catch his breath after one of the most impressive halves of defensive football in NFL history.

Rodgers became the first player ever to return an interception for a touchdown, return a fumble for a touchdown and force two fumbles in a single game. And Rodgers, a free agent acquisition in his first season as a full-time NFL starter, did it in the first half to help the Vikings build a 34-3 halftime lead over the Cincinnati Bengals .

Originally a sixth-round draft pick of the Indianapolis Colts in 2020,

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