Vikings Expect Sharrif Floyd Back This Week
By Dan Zinski
The Vikings definitely missed Sharrif Floyd last week against the Packers. They could’ve used Floyd’s penetration and play-making ability against Aaron Rodgers and Eddie Lacy, that’s for sure.
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Luckily Floyd’s absence from the field will prove to be a short one. Mike Zimmer said on Wednesday that he expects Floyd to be back out there this week against the Carolina Panthers.
Floyd missed the Packer game after suffering an injury in a freak practice incident where he bumped knees with a teammate. But the knee appears to be back in order.
A second year defensive tackle out of Florida, Floyd has been nothing short of a revelation playing the 3-tech in Mike Zimmer’s system. He and fellow 2013 draft pick Xavier Rhodes have taken great strides under the new coaching staff.
Floyd has not only demonstrated his value as a disruptive pass rusher, he’s also shown that he can get after it when defending the run. Floyd has made a habit of blowing up screens, chasing down runners and generally creating mayhem all over the field.
Sharrif is definitely a big reason the Vikings have seen a marked improvement in their defense this year. Even without him, they were able to mount a pretty respectable effort against the high-flying Packers last week.
With Floyd, the Vikings will do more than mount a respectable effort against Cam Newton and the struggling Panthers. I expect a shut down game for the Vikings D against Carolina.