Breaking: Vikings Defense Proves Unstoppable, Even With…
Sunday’s performance by the Minnesota Vikings defense might not have felt like a great one, but it was a majorly underrated performance.
The game ended up with a final score of 23-22 after the Vikings were down at one point 19-6. What helped them get back into the game was an impressive performance by defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ unit.
Throughout the game, the Vikings struggled in stopping the Cardinals from getting chunks of yards. They allowed 406 yards on 77 plays, while the Vikings offense had just 51 plays on Sunday afternoon.
Allowing the Cardinals to drive down the field was frustrating to watch, especially when they got down into the red zone. That was where the Vikings ended up doing a great job once the Cardinals got into the red zone.
Heading into Sunday’s game, the Vikings had allowed the second-least possessions (26) and eighth-least touchdowns (17). However, they ranked 27th in the NFL in touchdown percentage (65.4%).
The Cardinals did get into the red zone a season-high six times, but Flroes’ defense held strong by holding them to a whopping one touchdown.
The Cardinals couldn’t punch the ball into the end zone for a multitude of reasons. The Vikings’ coverage tightened up significantly in the red zone both because of the field shrinking and the play of the secondary. They forced quarterback Kyler Murray to check it down while also getting pressure on him consistently, forcing him off his spot and even an intentional grounding.
Overall, not allowing a touchdown on five of six red zone drives isn’t sustainable. However, standing up like that against a really good defense is huge for the Vikings, especially with Ivan Pace Jr. on injured reserve and Stephon Gilmore out for the entire second half.
This is a great building block for the Vikings moving forward.
