Minnesota Vikings RB Alexander Mattison receives racial, personal backlash after struggles against Eagles

The Minnesota Vikings fell to 0-2 on the season on Thursday night after losing to the Philadelphia Eagles to the tune of 34-28. As if losing the game wasn’t enough, Vikings running back Alexander Mattison had to deal with some truly vulgar reactions from either disappointed Minnesota fans or perhaps disgruntled fantasy owners on his social media.

After the game, during which Mattison had eight carries for 28 yards, along with three catches on six targets for 11 yards, and a fumble, the former third-rounder out of Boise State shared some screenshots of the messages he received via his DMs on Instagram.

“Y’all can come at me all you want about fantasy and, “you suck” blah blah blah. I really could care less,” Mattison wrote on one screenshot that showed someone calling him the n-word, among other things. “But this s*** is unacceptable. SMFH I hope the 60+ people who decided to come at me with disgustingly disrespectful messages tonight in DMs and comments really reflect on wtf you say and how it could truly affect someone. Under my helmet, I am a human.. a father.. a son. This is sick. SMH.”

Alexander Mattison’s DM’s after the game.

This is simply unacceptable, players are humans too and deserve respect. pic.twitter.com/ceFXrsDWvC

— NFL Retweet (@NFLRT) September 15, 2023

Vikings struggle through two games

Mattison, who played backup to starting running back Dalvin Cook last season, seemed like a winning fantasy football pickup for those hoping to cash in on the Vikings’ key offseason departure. However, through two games, he has just 19 carries for 62 yards (3.3 ypc) and six receptions for 21 yards.

Working as Cook’s backup, Mattison had just 283 rushing yards to the starters’ 1,173 last season. However, Minnesota committed to him with a two-year contract for $7 million to see if he can take on the bulk of the load this year.

Over four seasons, he’s racked up 1,670 total yards on 404 carries with 11 touchdowns. The most carries Mattison’s posted in a season is 134, which was in 2021. With those 134 carries, Mattison rushed for 491 yards – a career-high.

Frustration toward Mattison, however, extends to the whole Vikings squad. In just two games, Minnesota has six lost fumbles. Prior to this season, Mattison had just two fumbles over four years.

According to ESPN, of 270 teams that have started the regular season 0-2, only 31 have advanced to the postseason (11.5%). Minnesota was a playoff team last year after a 13-4 finish, which just adds to the frustration from fans who were hoping to pick up where they left off.