With so many talented cornerbacks and safeties on the Minnesota Vikings roster, it isn’t surprising to see the secondary as arguably the best in the NFL.
Last season, the Minnesota Vikings had the top-ranked defense in the NFL. This was due to a stout defensive line, solid tackling, and excellent play from the defensive backs holding opposing offenses to a low third down conversion rate.
With superstars like Harrison Smith and Xavier Rhodes striking fear into the hearts of opposing offenses and other talented players such as Andrew Sendejo, Trae Waynes, and Terence Newman holding down the fort while youngsters Mackensie Alexander and Mike Hughes acclimate to the NFL game and Mike Zimmer’s defense.
Since this is the time of year when everyone compiles lists to get fans excited for the upcoming season, NFL.com recently asked several of their analysts who the best secondary in the NFL is. Unsurprisingly, the Vikings got a lot of love.
Two of the four experts on the site chose Minnesota as having the top grouping of defensive backs in the league, with the other two experts (Reggie Bush and Brian Baldinger) choosing the Jacksonville Jaguars.
David Carr may have totally botched his quarterback rankings entering the 2018 NFL season, but he redeemed himself by having this to say about Minnesota’s secondary:
"“Xavier Rhodes can shut down an entire side of the field by himself, and Harrison Smith is so versatile that, as a quarterback, you can’t anticipate what Mike Zimmer’s defense is going to do because Smith can do it all.”"
Meanwhile, Shaun O’Hara gave praise to Minnesota’s defensive line for helping out the secondary but believes the Vikings unit will be able to capitalize on the pressure in a big way. Yet, he pinpoints one individual as the league’s best at his position.
"“Mike Zimmer has the NFL’s best defense right now. Harrison Smith is the top safety in the league, in my opinion.”"
What is crazy to think about is how quickly the Vikings turned their defense around.
Before the arrival of Mike Zimmer in Minnesota before the 2014 NFL season, the team was known for giving up big plays and allowing teams to get back into games by playing a conservative defense. Now, under Zimmer, teams need to be extra careful when attacking this defense.
While it is still up for debate as to whether or not the Minnesota Vikings have the best secondary in the NFL, there is no denying they have one of the most feared units in the league. And opposing teams will need to respect that during the 2018 season.