Minnesota Vikings Defensive MVP: Week 2 vs. the Packers

The Minnesota Vikings played the Green Bay Packers to a 29-29 stalemate in a Week 2 matchup between two NFC North rivals.

To many, Sunday’s matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers was a bizarre game that cruelly fell out of the clutches out of the Vikings’ hands at the very end. Defensively, Minnesota was definitely exhausted by the end of the matchup, but they certainly held up their end of the bargain.

In many NFL games, team defenses often play with a “bend, but do not break” mentality. In football, it usually means that giving up yards are less important than giving up points.

Such was the case as the Vikings’ defense struggled to prevent the Packers from scoring on Sunday. But Minnesota did do a good job of keeping Green Bay out of the end zone this week.

Vikings Defensive MVP – Week 2

Xavier Rhodes, CB

Rhodes was not at his absolute best on Sunday, but his eight solo tackles and perfect defense of an Aaron Rodgers pass to receiver Devante Adams kept the Packers from making the contest a two-score game with less than two minutes remaining.

Minnesota Vikings

Rodgers got a lot of press this week in regard to his sprained knee. It may have been true that he wasn’t dancing like he was 100 percent, but he was far less limited than advertised.

In addition to covering Adams, Rhodes also had a hand in limiting Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb to just four catches for 30 yards on Sunday.

Honorable Mentions

Everson Griffen, DE

Because the NFL simply will not address the Packers’ offensive line tactics of “hugging” and holding defenders (although Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer did in his post-game press conference), players like Griffen and fellow Minnesota defensive end Danielle Hunter struggle at times to get past Green Bay’s blockers and bring down Rodgers.

Having said that, there can be no doubt that Griffen gave it his all on Sunday, fighting play in and play out with different physical maneuvers to beat the technique of his Pro Bowl opponent, Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari.

The Vikings defensive end put enough pressure on Rodgers’ blind side to get a piece of one sack and cause the Packers’ quarterback to force several of his throws, one of which came on a crucial third-down play in Minnesota’s red zone with just over two minutes left in regulation and Green Bay ahead by two.

Mackensie Alexander, CB

Alexander’s game-play was far from perfect on Sunday, but the timing of his overtime sack of Rodgers was superb.

Coming just two plays after the Packers were in kicker Mason Crosby’s range to end the game, it forced Green Bay to punt and gave way to the Vikings’ long overtime drive to have the chance to pull off what would have been a legendary victory in Lambeau.