Minnesota Vikings MVPs: Week 9 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
By Adam Carlson
Defensive MVP – Honorable Mentions
There were a lot of ugly things that happened in this game while the Vikings defense was on the field. Minnesota just couldn’t keep up with the speed of players like Tyreek Hill and Damien Williams while dealing with the size and talent of Travis Kelce posed a different problem.
As a whole, the secondary just couldn’t keep up with the Chiefs while the linebackers chased the ball carriers around all day. It was a tough day for the defense, especially considering Kansas City was without their star quarterback and two key linemen.
Here are some of the defensive standouts from this game who weren’t quite the MVP from Week 9 against the Chiefs:
- Everson Griffen, defensive end – It took him a little while to get going, but eventually Griffen found a way to consistently get pressure on the KC quarterback. His experience and motor were on full display as he got three hits on the quarterback to go with six total tackles, one sack, and an additional tackle for a loss.
- Danielle Hunter, defensive end – Opposite Griffen, Hunter was getting a lot of attention this game. Still, there was no stopping him. His stat line of three tackles, including half a sack and two solo efforts, doesn’t do justice for the pressures he got during his pass-rushing attempts.
- Ifeadi Odenigbo, defensive end – It’s nice to know that when the Vikings need some pass rush help, they can trust in Odenigbo to step in. In limited plays, the defensive end registered two solo takedowns, one of them being a sack.
- Stephen Weatherly, defensive end – That’s right. All four honorable mentions from this game are pass rushers. Weatherly has proven to be a great substitution or welcome addition to any play when some extra pressure is needed. Weatherly got two hits on the quarterback and one sack on the day.