NFC Defensive Player of the Month Belongs to a Viking
Many Minnesota Vikings were anxietal about losing Danielle Hunter to free agency nine months ago, but with his direct replacement, Jonathan Greenard, it’s so far, so good.
NFC Defensive Player of the Month Belongs to a Viking
Greenard won NFC Defensive Player of the Month this week for November, a deserving award for the man who leads the NFL in quarterback pressures.
Vikings.com’s Lindsey Young wrote Thursday, “Jonathan Greenard had himself quite a November. The Vikings outside linebacker has been named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month, the league announced Thursday.”
The aforementioned Hunter served as the last Viking to win the award in October 2023.
Young added, “Greenard led the conference with eight tackles for loss, tying with former Viking Danielle Hunter for most in the NFL. He also logged 4.0 sacks, which tied for the third most in the NFC during the month; 16 tackles; one forced fumble and one pass defenses.”
Greenard joined the Vikings in March, its keynote defensive addition after Hunter skedaddled for the Houston Texans in free agency. Ironically, Greenard started his career in Houston, so Minnesota and Houston basically swapped pass rushers.
The new Viking has logged an 82.1 Pro Football Focus grade so far in 2024, complete with 60 pressures in 12 games. He’s banked 26 tackles, 15 quarterback hits, 14 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles.
Greenard and his counterpart Andrew Van Ginkel are playing so well this season that 1st-Round rookie Dallas Turner isn’t seeing 1st-Round playing time quite like other highly-touted rookies. It’s a good problem.
Before a game last month, Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan called Greenard “the most underrated edge player in football right now” and said, “He’s playing fantastic. I think he’s really, really good.”
The Vikings’ defense ranks first in the NFL per DVOA and second per EPA/Play through 13 weeks. The Detroit Lions lead Minnesota in EPA/Play and trail by a spot via DVOA. Greenard’s presence is the engine upfront that does most of the damage, along with Van Ginkel. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s 2024 free-agent class has played out so wonderfully this season that fans often wonder where the club would be without contributions from Greenard, Van Ginkel, Blake Cashman, Aaron Jones, Shaquill Griffin, Stephon Gilmore, and of course, Sam Darnold.
Sam Darnold won the NFC Offensive Player of the Month in September.
Greenard’s Vikings host the Atlanta Falcons this weekend and are favored to win by six.
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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