Minnesota Vikings Defense Shines Against Kansas City Chiefs
By Adam Carlson
The Minnesota Vikings showcased something in their third preseason game that fans of the team have been missing for the last couple years: Defense. While the Vikings seemed to struggle on the offensive side early on, the defense played some lights out football and capitalized on several Kansas City mistakes in this contest.
Interceptions seemed to be dropping out of the sky for the Minnesota Vikings in this game. They managed to snag three picks from the Chiefs in this game, two from Alex Smith and one from Tyler Bray. The recipients of those interceptions shouldn’t be too surprising either. Ballhawk Captain Munnerlyn, linebacker Chad Greenway, and backup cornerback Shaun Prater all have a history of picking off quarterbacks in the past and look to continue that into this preseason.
But interceptions weren’t the only thing this Minnesota Vikings defense were up to this game. They were pressuring the quarterback on a regular basis and getting numerous sacks as well. Five sacks kept the quarterbacks for the Chiefs scared in the pocket and forced some bad decisions. Here are the players who recorded sacks in the game:
Aug 23, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Corey Wootton (99) celebrates after sacking Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith (not shown) in the second half at Arrowhead Stadium. Minnesota won the game 30-12. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
Corey Wootton (1)
Tom Johson (1)
Shaun Prater (1)
While many analysts these days say that tackles aren’t a judge of a good player, Audie Cole put forth a great performance and finished the night recording 7 takedowns for the team. Behind him were Andrew Sendejo with 5, Harrison Smith with 4, and three players tying with three tackles on the night.
The Minnesota Vikings didn’t end up giving up a touchdown until late in the game when Tyler Bray connected with Albert Wilson. Otherwise, the Chiefs points came only through field goals and one safety that came in the first quarter on a Matt Cassel fumble.
Overall, fans should be very excited about this aggressive Mike Zimmer defense that has gotten good results against teams so far this preseason. Let’s hope the momentum continues into the regular season.