Minnesota Vikings MVPs: Week 8 vs. Washington Redskins

Defensive MVP – Honorable Mentions

Normally, a team that only allows three field goals all game only has their opponent gain 216 yards of total offense would have a ton of players who stepped up in a big way. However, it was more of the ineptitude of the Redskins after the exit of Case Keenum that seemed to make all the difference.

Still, the Minnesota Vikings kept Adrian Peterson in check, keeping him to 76 yards and kept the Redskins from getting into the endzone all game long. For that reason, it’s nice to take a look at some of the individuals who contributed in a big way.

Here are some of the defensive standouts from this game who weren’t quite the MVP from Week 8 against the Redskins:

• Danielle Hunter, defensive end – Getting quite a few pressures on the day, Hunter made his home in the Redskins backfield. He had five tackles on the day, including two tackles for a loss with one of those being a strip-sack which resulted in a Case Keenum lost fumble recovered by Shamar Stephen,
• Anthony Harris, safety – The second turnover from the Vikings defense came when Harris intercepted rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins on one of his five pass attempts in the game. He also had two tackles on the day.
• Anthony Barr, linebacker – Barr shared a sack with Everson Griffen in this game, where he was left unblocked and had a straight line to the quarterback. His strong grip held the passer in place while the duo was able to take him down behind the line of scrimmage. He had four total tackles in the game, one being the half-sack and the other being a tackle for a loss.
• Linval Joseph, defensive tackle – “The Big Goon” hasn’t appeared in the MVP running for a bit, but this week he used his size to plug running lanes and keep the Redskins from running wild. He ended the night with three tackles, two solo and one shared tackle for a loss.