The Vikings Defensive Front Has Truly Been an “All Hands on Deck” Effort
In 2020, the Minnesota Vikings defense was one of the poorest units in the entire NFL. The biggest indictment on that group came from this fabled stat: Yannick Ngakoue led the team in sacks. He did this by recording five in just six games for the team before being traded to the Baltimore Ravens. The Vikings had the fifth-lowest team total last year, recording a dismal 23 sacks. Obviously, the loss of Danielle Hunter before the season’s start hurt that group, but it truly emphasized how little depth the Vikings defensive front contained.
During 2021, there still isn’t a true stand-out guy amongst the group. Danielle Hunter is once again out for the remainder of the season. A guy that played just seven games (also Hunter) still leads the group in sacks through Week 15. It seems like this would be a unit that, once again, is one of the worst in the NFL at getting to the quarterback.
Au contraire, my friends. Amongst the beasts that roster T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett, and even Aaron Donald, it is in fact the Minnesota Vikings defensive front that topples each and every one of them. Against all odds, Minnesota still leads the entire league in sacks after week 15 with 44. This is even with a few uninspiring stats that would never suggest an elite defensive unit, or even an above average one. Here are the Vikings ranks in other pass-rush stats this year:
- Pressure Percentage: 14th
- QB Hits: 13th
- QB Knockdown Percentage: 28th
Danielle Hunter’s and DJ Wonnum’s team-leading sack totals don’t crack the top-30 among player rankings, either. However, if you look past the top, this group is nothing like 2020’s group. Ifeadi Odenigbo was second on the 2020 Vikings in sacks with a measly 3.5. This year, there are five Vikings with higher totals than that, and three more have at least 2.5.
For comparison’s sake, the Pittsburgh Steelers, who currently rank second in team sacks, have just five guys with two or more. Of course, their weight is being carried heavily by the great T.J. Watt, who leads the league with an incredible 17.5 sacks, and Cameron Heyward’s seven have to be mentioned as well.
Obviously, it’s great to have that sort of star power that can have such a positive impact on a defense. However, it’s a bit of a double-edged sword, especially when you look at a team like Pittsburgh. By virtually every metric, the Steelers defense is far better with Watt on the field. However, that becomes an issue when you consider he’s missed two games and played under 50% of Pittsburgh’s defensive snaps in three others. The Steelers are 0-4-1 in those games.
On the other hand, the Vikings defensive front has not skipped a beat without Danielle Hunter. Minnesota was 3-4 with him in the lineup, and they are now 4-3 without him after Monday’s win in Chicago. The Vikings may not have the luxury of star power on that side of the ball, at least in terms of the traditional sense, but the fact that they can rely on multiple guys could be extremely valuable down the stretch.
Especially with Covid taking guys out seemingly every hour, each team needs to be able to have a “next man up” mentality these final three weeks. The Vikings have luckily enough been playing this way since October, and that could be the advantage they need for a final playoff push.