The Minnesota Vikings had a much-improved defense in 2015, but what if it fails to take the next step in 2016?
Things trended upward for the Minnesota Vikings’ defense in 2015. Their overall yardage-allowed total remained almost the same from 2014 (344.7) to 2015 (344.2), but in points allowed they jumped from 11th (21.4) in 2014 to 5th (18.9).
The Vikings made good strides last year in third-down and red zone defense. Their best players, Harrison Smith and Anthony Barr, became near-elite. Veterans Linval Joseph and Everson Griffen were solid, while younger players like Eric Kendricks and Danielle Hunter showed great promise.
And of course Mike Zimmer isn’t close to being satisfied. Because Zimmer knows that a one-year progression won’t be enough to get the Vikings where they want to be.
With their offensive limitations, the Vikings must have a top-10 or even top-5 defense if they want to make a deep run into the playoffs. It would also help if their kicker could make a chip-shot field goal now-and-then, but that’s a subject for another time.
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Defensively, what must the Vikings do in order to move up another rung on the ladder?
First, they must find another safety to line up alongside Harrison Smith, preferably one who can occasionally be left in single-high coverage so Smith can blitz.
Second, they must identify a Will linebacker who can fire downhill and put the hurt on some people.
Third, they must shore up their defense against the run. They could help themselves here by moving Eric Kendricks to the Will and finding someone else to play the middle. Maybe rookie Kentrell Brothers can slide in and provide a sure-tackling presence at the Mike.
Fourth, the Vikings must improve their two-minute defense to avoid giving up what Captain Munnerlyn called “garbage yards.”
A lot of this is down to certain players continuing to move upward in their progression.
Xavier Rhodes must build on his strong 2015 finish and continue working on not drawing penalties. Second-year player Trae Waynes must become a contributor after being red-shirted his rookie year.
Eric Kendricks must work on his tackling and coverage. Danielle Hunter must work on becoming a more well-rounded defensive end and not just a pass rusher. Sharrif Floyd must stay healthy.
It’s natural to assume that, because the Vikings improved from 2014 to 2015, they will continue on that upward curve. But there’s actually no guarantee that will happen.
If the Vikings don’t get better in the areas listed above, if the players listed above don’t show at least some improvement in their individual games, the Vikings won’t continue climbing the ladder toward elite status but will instead plateau or tail off.
Next: Which young defender will be the next star?
The Vikings can’t afford to plateau or tail off defensively because defense is the identity of this team. If the Vikes are going to make a deep playoff run, it will be the defense that carries it there.
So, Mike Zimmer has to make sure he stays on his players and gets even better work out of them in 2016. If the defense fails to progress, the Vikings will regress record-wise and likely miss the playoffs.