No, the Minnesota Vikings don’t have an impressive rushing attack. They can’t ever seem to punch the ball in from close goal line scenarios, and Aaron Jones hitting triple-digits is few and far between. Despite an early fumble, both of the positives happened on Sunday. More so, though, the focus should be on just how good the defense is.
The Vikings Did It on the Ground Again
For the past handful of years, the Minnesota Vikings’ secondary has left plenty to be desired. Inconsistent cornerback play has often put the offense in a situation where it has to score early and often. Some of that is still true, but the group has been shored up with veteran additions this season.
Despite still having a gaping hole at the defensive tackle position, Minnesota has shut down the opposing running game. They are allowing the fewest rush yards per game this season, which showed up against the Bears. It is fair to note that Chicago doesn’t apparently know how to utilize D’Andre Swift. Still, he has broken off big runs during multiple games this season. Minnesota held him to just 30 yards on 13 carries, and his long went for eight yards.
It has happened on multiple occasions this season, but Caleb Williams led the Chicago running attack with 33 yards on six carries. Most of those were the quarterback escaping pressure and having an open field due to coverage. It’s truly remarkable how well the Vikings bottled up the opposition.
With teams unable to run against Minnesota, the secondary is much better positioned to lock into their defensive assignments. Brian Flores is a mastermind in generating pressure, but he has produced plenty of sacks simply because of quality coverage.
The NFL is not the same running back league it was even a couple of years ago. That said, the Vikings have faced plenty of strong ball carriers. They haven’t changed their identity regardless of the name on the back of the jersey, which has kept opposing offenses entirely lopsided.
Chicago controlled the time of possession on Sunday despite churning out yardage on the ground. Minnesota can flip that script by sustaining some drives of its own. When looking to bottle up backs, though, they win.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes daily for Minnesota Sports Fan. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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