Oct 16, 2022; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith (22) after a game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports.
The Minnesota Vikings hold a 7-2 record after Week 10, with sights on the Tennessee Titans this Sunday afternoon. After getting back on a winning track in the last two weeks, Minnesota is now mathematically in the driver’s seat to reach the postseason.
And while the 2024 campaign still has eight games on tap, Minnesota has done a handful of things quite well to date. These are four items where the franchise excels.
They’re ranked in no particular order.
Defensive EPA/Play Ranking: 1st
Defensive DVOA Ranking: 1st
Outside of two poor games in Week 7 and 8 against the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota’s defense is its foremost calling card. No one can debate it.
The offseason additions of Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Blake Cashman, Stephon Gilmore, and others fundamentally changed everything. Brian Flores transformed a decent defense in 2023 into a wondrous one this season.
Ranking tops in the business per EPA/Play and DVOA is not accidental.
NFL Ranking | Turnover Differential: 9th
Minnesota’s defense forces a lot of turnovers — which compensates for too many interceptions and fumbles. In fact, if the offense didn’t throw interceptions at its current clip, national media would probably consider Minnesota a very legitimate Super Bowl contender.
Still, Minnesota is right-side up via the season-long turnover battle, an indicator that it will reach the playoffs and maybe even win a game.
NFL Ranking | Point Differential: 6th
The Vikings outscore opponents by 7.1 points per game, ranking sixth-best in the sport. The pace has slowed down as of late, but point differential is adjudicated by the whole season sample.
Usually, teams that rank in the NFL’s Top 10 per point differential fare well in the postseason. Vikings fans are familiar with an opposite team — the 2022 Vikings, who finished that season with a 13-4 record and -3 points differential.
That isn’t the case this go-round.
Minnesota starts games this season really, really hot. September and October wins were the ultimate examples.
These are the franchise’s by-quarter offensive efficiency rankings:
Vikings Offense Ranking,
by Quarter,
EPA/Play:
1st Quarter: 2nd
2nd Quarter: 24th
3rd Quarter: 10th
4th Quarter: 26th
Improving the 4th Quarter production will be crucial down the stretch of the season and in the playoffs, but for now, Minnesota is quite good at the beginning of games.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.