So first of all, I've enjoyed the Vikings so far this season. When I'm going to spend my Sundays watching football, the most important thing is: Did I get my money's worth? And so far this season? Yeah, I've got my money's worth.
The defense is absolutely insane. I could sit here and give a list of all the players I think are great, but I feel like a little kid showing off their favorite toys to an adult: and here's Dallas Turner, and this is Blake Cashman, and here's Jalen Redmond, and oh, here's Van Ginkel and Metellus and Rodgers...
I've never actually seen a dominant defensive unit from the Vikings in my life. I've seen GOOD defensive units before. Specifically the '09 team had the Williams Wall and Jared Allen and Antoine Winfield...but I've never seen the team's defense actually be their offense. So from where I'm sitting, with how great this defense has been, they're legitimately going to hang in any game because the defense more than likely isn't giving up a lot of points.
Since Brian Flores took over the Vikings defense, the average PPG for all teams in that span is 22.6. In 56 games as DC, the Vikings have only given up more than 22 points 25 times. They are 8-17 in those games...so, so long as they don't give up more than 22 points, they're good. They are 26-5 in games they give up 22 or less points.
Is that enough to be a Super Bowl contender? I've seen a lot of optimistic fans bring up the 2000 Baltimore Ravens as an example of a defensive dominant team with less-than-stellar offensive play that had great success. And while I see the vision, before the Vikes can be talked about in the same sentence as that Ravens team, I need to see more turnovers. So far this year, the Vikings are on pace for 34 takeaways. That 2000 Ravens team had 49 in 16 games.
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