Minnesota Vikings: Once-formidable defense has lost its touch
Two years ago, Mike Zimmer’s Minnesota Vikings boasted the No. 1 defense in the NFL. Things have certainly changed when it comes to this unit.
On Monday night at Seattle, the Minnesota Vikings put 30 points on the board against the Seahawks and their offensive unit rolled up 354 total yards and reached the end zone three times.
And it wasn’t enough to get a victory. Mike Zimmer’s club fell to the leaders in the NFC West by a 37-30 count and the Minnesota defense couldn’t get off the field. Pete Carroll’s club won the times of possession battle (39:45) and the Vikings surrendered a disappointing 218 yards on the ground in the seven-point setback.
So what has gone wrong with this defense? The team has a respectable 33 sacks and has come away with 18 takeaways. But it’s hard to ignore the numbers as of late.
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In their first five games, the Vikings allowed a combined 73 points and only nine offensive touchdowns. Zimmer’s squad limited four of those opponents to 16 points or less and only the Green Bay Packers in Week 2 managed to reach the end zone three times against this club.
But over the last seven games, with five of those resulting in victory, Minnesota’s defense has allowed 169 points and 17 touchdowns. Only the Washington Redskins, who were defeated by the Vikings 19-9 on a Thursday night, failed to score at least 20 points against Zimmer’s team.
In four of those seven contests, the Purple Gang allowed at least 400 yards of total offense, including a season-high 444 yards on Monday evening against the Seahawks.
You could chalk it up to a tough evening in the Pacific Northwest but that would be disingenuous. These days, the Minnesota Vikings own an 8-4 record due largely to quarterback Kirk Cousins, running back Dalvin Cook and one of the more balanced offensive attacks in the league. If Zimmer and coordinator George Edwards can get some things turned around, this could be a dangerous team in the postseason — assuming they get there.
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Because there’s still an awfully long way to go in the NFC North. And who would have guessed that it was the Minnesota offense that would be leading the way for this team in 2019?