Boom. Vikings Defense Leads NFL in Sacks.

Vikings Defense
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Remember last season’s miserable defense? The 2022 incarnation of the Vikings defense isn’t perfect, but it’s come a long way through just six games this season. One of the major issues was the inability to get pressure on the opposing quarterback. This resulted in only 23 sacks during the 16 games last season. The sack leader on the team was defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, who amassed five sacks in six games before being traded to the Baltimore Ravens. 

There needed to be some serious improvement this season, and there has been. Through six weeks, the Vikings defense has obtained 21 sacks already, just two shy of last season’s total. That leads the NFL through six weeks, tied with divisional foe the Chicago Bears.

Just like Old Times

One of the key factors of the return of a dominant Vikings pass-rush is the familiar sight of a dynamic duo at each end of the defensive line. The return of Danielle Hunter after missing last season due to injury was always going to be a boost. The bigger surprise has been Everson Griffen, brought in seemingly as a depth piece. He has established himself as the starting right end already.

A duo that terrorized quarterbacks across the for years is back together, bringing the same chemistry and same energy they always had. They have combined for ten of the 21 sacks so far. Danielle Hunter leads the team with six, and Everson Griffen has four. That leaves eleven more.

Rest of the Defense Chipping in

When you have two main guys piling up the sacks, what you then need is the rest of the defense chipping in. That is exactly what has been occurring. Michael Pierce and Eric Kendricks have two sacks apiece. Dalvin Tomlinson has 1.5 sacks, Anthony Barr has the other half of that sack. Then, there are a further five players who all have one sack so far this season. They are Harrison Smith, James Lynch, Nick Vigil, DJ Wonnum, and Armon Watts.

It’s good to chance top pass rushers, but you don’t want to rely on them solely. That’s why it’s so important to be able to get after the quarterback from all angles. The Carolina Panthers did a good job of keeping Hunter and Griffen reasonably quiet this Sunday, but it didn’t matter as the defense found other ways to get to Sam Darnold.

Through six weeks, the Vikings are averaging six 3.5 sacks per game. If they can maintain that rate, they would finish the regular season with an impressive 59.5 sacks. The defense has a week to rest before coming out of the bye week and into a showdown with Dak Prescott’s Dallas Cowboys. They will need to be firing on all cylinders for that one.

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