Minnesota Vikings MVPs: Week 11 vs. Denver Broncos
By Adam Carlson
Defensive MVP – Honorable Mentions
This game started with the Broncos having their way with the Vikings, They targeted Xavier Rhodes, picking in the former shutdown cornerback and creating a big game for wide receiver Courland Sutton. By halftime, Denver had put 20 points on the board.
A switch flipped in the second half and the team came out of its funk. Passes started getting broken up, pressure started getting to the quarterback, and the team kept the Broncos out of the end zone.
Here are some of the defensive standouts from this game who weren’t quite the MVP from Week 11 against the Cowboys:
- Andrew Sendejo, safety – In his first game back with the Vikings, he stepped into a starting role for the injured Anthony Harris and made a big impact. Not only did he lead the team with seven tackles (four solo), but he captured a big interception when Denver was threatening in the red zone.
- Jaleel Johnson, defensive tackle – Another player filling in this week, Johnson made his second start for Linval Joseph. Once again, he held his own by plugging the middle of the line and bringing down ball carriers. He racked up six tackles on the day (four solo) with two takedowns going for a loss, including one sack.
- Everson Griffen, defensive end – It took a little while, but Griffen finally figured out how to get pressure on Brandon Allen. The stats will show that he only had three tackles and one sack on the day, but he made Denver’s quarterback very uncomfortable in the pocket and forced some tough throws in this game.
- Eric Kendricks, linebacker – This wasn’t one of the best games that Eric Kendricks had this year, but he was still essential in limiting the yardage the Broncos yards after the catch. He had six tackles on the day with two of them being solo, adding one pass breakup in the process,