Minnesota Vikings linebacker Eric Kendricks was all over the field on Sunday during the team’s big win over the Cleveland Browns.
In just two and half seasons, Eric Kendricks has already developed into one of the most important parts of the Minnesota Vikings’ defense. The linebacker set a single-season career-high in 2016 with 109 total tackles and at his current pace, he should be able to easily surpass that amount this year.
This week against the Cleveland Browns, Kendricks led the Vikings’ defense with nine total tackles (including one for a loss). Along with his tackles, the Minnesota linebacker also finished with two pass deflections and one hit on Browns quarterback DeShone Kizer.
With his nine tackles on Sunday, Kendricks is now among the NFL’s leading tacklers in 2017. His 61 total tackles are also the most among all Vikings defenders this year (by more than 15).
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The linebacker’s efforts played a tremendous part in Minnesota’s defensive performance this week. Against Kendricks and the rest of the Vikings’ defense on Sunday, Cleveland’s offense only converted on four of their 13 third-down attempts and averaged just 4.4 yards per pass attempt.
With players like Kendricks, Minnesota’s defense is among the best in the league this season and a big reason for why the team is off to a 6-2 start.
The Vikings are going to need their defense to continue playing at a high level if they want their success to extend and result in a playoff berth this year. Especially since four of the team’s next five games this season are on the road.
Next: Vikings' ups and downs vs. the Browns
But based on how the defense is performing so far in 2017, that doesn’t seem like too difficult of a task to complete.