Viktor
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- Mar 19, 2019
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PFF has Vikings defense in top 10 so far in 2019
Through six games, the Vikings defense ranks fifth in the league by allowing 310.3 yards per game, and are sixth with 15.5 points allowed per game.
It’s been a team effort, according to Pro Football Focus, as the analytics website credited multiple players on defense for Minnesota’s strong play so far.
PFF writer Ben Linsey had high praise for the Vikings, and ranked Minnesota seventh among all defenses. Linsey noted that Minnesota’s pass coverage has been among the best in the league so far in 2019.
Linsey wrote:
If it wasn’t already clear at this point, let’s restate: coverage matters. The Vikings have a top three PFF coverage grade in the NFL as a team, joining the Patriots and the 49ers. It has been their linebackers and safeties — Eric Kendricks, Anthony Harris and Harrison Smith — that have been most impressive in coverage.
The Vikings linebackers and safeties have combined for 15 forced incompletions, which is five more than any other team in the league. Meanwhile on their pass rush, both Danielle Hunter (39 pressures) and Everson Griffen (36 pressures) rank among the top five defenders league-wide in total pressures.
Harris leads the Vikings with a pair of interceptions, while Smith, Anthony Barr, Griffen and Mackensie Alexander each have one.
Hunter has a team-high 6.0 sacks. Griffen has 3.0 sacks, and Linval Joseph and Eric Wilson each have recorded 2.0 sacks.