Vikings Defender Has Bold Take about Last Win
Were you pleased with the Minnesota Vikings’ win over the Green Bay Packers last weekend?
Vikings Defender Has Bold Take about Last Win
Stop it, says outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard.
The Vikings pass rusher told KFAN this week that he and his teammates treated the win over Green Bay like a loss.
“We definitely … we’re treating this like a loss,” Greenard said Tuesday on The Power Trip Morning Show.
The Vikings hopped out to a mammoth 28-0 lead in the 2nd Quarter of the Week 4 tilt, but after a Jalen Nailor muffed punt near halftime, the Packers gradually shrunk Minnesota’s lead and damn near won. In the end, Minnesota prevailed 31-29, and fans breathed a sigh of relief.
“We literally were not happy about how we won this past game. We left so many plays out there. We messed up so many times on our end. Just a lot of self-inflicted stuff,” Greenard continued.
“I think that’s one of the good things I noticed about this team. … We’re just going back to the drawing board and looking at ourselves in the mirror and understand, ‘Hey look, what type of team do you want to be? Do you want to be a team that’s standing there at the final dance?’ We gotta make sure that these things don’t happen.”
The Vikings’ defense ranks first in the NFL per DVOA and EPA/Play through four games, so for Greenard to be “angry” about his team’s performance at Green Bay … is really something. However, if it keeps the defense focused and motivated, few fans will complain.
Greenard concluded about the team’s mindset: “A lot of people trying to ask, ‘How do we go about this being 4-0? Or how do you deal with adversity when you’re always up against opponents?’ I feel like we shouldn’t have to be playing from behind or being in a situation where we have to be down 14 or multiple scores just to show us that we’re a good team. That’s the beauty of it, knowing we have a pretty good team because no one’s satisfied about how we won.”
Next up for the Vikings? The New York Jets in London.
New York hasn’t beaten Minnesota since 2010 and has lost three consecutive matchups. The showdown may also be the final time the Vikings see Aaron Rodgers’ in his illustrious career, barring an unlikely Super Bowl showdown this year or next.
Minnesota is undefeated in London, winning four games across the pond, including a 1983 exhibition, in the last 41 years.
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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.