Vikings' Punishing Pass Rush Key To 2-1 Start
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (WCCO) -- The Vikings have a two game winning streak, largely because of a style of play that reminds you of the glory days of the Purple People Eaters.
Their pass rush has been relentless, pressuring quarterbacks and delivering punishing hits.
And it's all going according to plan.
"I do like the physical nature of our team the last couple weeks," coach Mike Zimmer said Monday.
The Vikings have been brutal on opposing quarterbacks the last couple weeks. They hit Matthew Stafford eight times -- one sack -- drawing blood and leading him to get X-rays on his chest after the game. They sacked Philip Rivers four times -- hitting him 12 -- one of them so hard the Chargers had to take a timeout to allow him to start breathing normally again.
All those hits add up. And they affect the way a quarterback plays.
"I think they speed up a little bit, I think they start throwing off the back foot a little bit, I think they feel getting hit," Zimmer said. "So I want us to continue that way. I hope that is our identity going forward."
Defensive end Everson Griffen said it's an identity the defensive line is proud of.
"We just go out there and be physical. We go out there and hit. And we just play the game of football like it's supposed to be played. Hard hits, legal hits," he said. "We don't take cheap shots, we just want to play football the hard, physical way."
The Vikings' ability to rush the pass has been predicated on their ability to stop the run. After allowing 230 rushing yards and two touchdowns to San Francisco, they've held the Lions and Chargers to 128 yards and no touchdowns, combined, the last two weeks.
When the other team knows they can't run on the Vikings, the Vikings know they can key on the quarterback.
"That performance that we put out there on Monday night, that wasn't us," Griffen said. "And we just want to make sure people know how we play football here, and this is the way we play. The past two games, that's how we're going to play for the rest of the season, and I feel like as long as we're practicing the way we're practicing and doing all the small details and execute, we've got a chance to be a really good team here."
And up next, they play another team that's struggled to run the ball and protect the quarterback. The Broncos are 3-0 despite being fourth from last in the NFL in rushing yards, and Peyton Manning has had to deliver the ball quickly on largely short passing routes due to lackluster play by a reshuffled offensive line.
