The Vikings’ Calling Card Is Back
In Weeks 7 and 8, the Minnesota Vikings’ defense disappeared.
The Vikings’ Calling Card Is Back
That factoid is not debatable — Brian Flores’ group stunk against the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams. The good news, though, is that the team’s keynote calling card is back.
How? Why? Well, since the start of Week 9 — games against the Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars — the defense has returned statistically to its dominant form. The general takeaway is that the Vikings currently rank tops in the NFL per EPA/Play on defense. The best in the business.
Yet, the journey to stay in front of the NFL pack hasn’t been smooth. Many feared that the Lions and Rams had fundamentally solved the Vikings’ spooky defense, and those arguments actually didn’t seem silly in the heat of the moment. It’s what happened to the purple defense last year — Brian Flores and Co. lost its mojo in a game at Cincinnati last December and never recovered.
But that isn’t happening this year.
Vikings Defense,
NFL Ranking,
per EPA/Play:
Week 1-5: 1st
Week 6-8: 28th
Week 9-10: 2nd
Overall: 1st
In short, the Vikings’ defense ranked as the NFL’s best in the first five weeks of 2024, tumbled to fifth worst from Weeks 6 to 8, and rebounded in the last two games to second-best in the two-game sample. Although facing Joe Flacco and Mac Jones, the Flores defense has returned to September form.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters after Sunday’s win at Jacksonville: “I cannot say enough about our defense and the way they battled. Time and time again answering the call and getting the ball back in the second half.”
And O’Connell is right. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Minnesota’s defense won the game for the purple team at Jacksonville. A defense reminiscent of the Lions or Rams games would’ve caused a 6-3 record, not the fancy 7-2 that Minnesota possesses.
The Vikings’ top EDGE rusher, Jonathan Greenard, said about his unit’s deeds in Week 10: “Man, we don’t flinch. We don’t care what happens on offense. We don’t care about what happens on special teams. We care about us on the defensive side. We know it doesn’t matter what happened. We still have to go out there and put a fire out. So we take that mentality and then just carry on with it — ’cause somebody gotta do it, and it’s got to be us. We’re selfless players.”
The road will eventually get bumpier when the Vikings face offenses led by Kyler Murray, Kirk Cousins, Jordan Love, and Jared Goff, but for now, the foremost calling card — Flores’ defense — has returned to its peak form.
It’s why Minnesota is 7-2 and in the driver’s seat to reach the playoffs.
About That Vikings QB Controversy …
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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