Anthony Harris and the Vikings secondary deserve respect
By Luke Parrish
Anthony Harris may be the best defensive player on the Minnesota Vikings, and it is time he earns your respect. What does his future hold?
Throughout the 2019 NFL season, the Minnesota Vikings received a lot of scrutiny. Despite being a playoff team with a 10-6 record, there was still reason for some to pause when discussing Minnesota.
The Vikings offense was strong, but it had some inconsistent performances at random times during the season. The offensive line was improved, but it still struggled mightily at times.
However, the biggest concern was Minnesota’s defensive struggles that persisted all year long. The Vikings had their fair share of dreadful performances on defense that the team could not overcome in 2019.
Xavier Rhodes entered the year as one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL. By season’s end, Rhodes was a talking point for all the wrong reasons. He was one of the league’s worst cornerbacks in coverage during the 2019 regular season and opposing teams targeted him frequently.
Trae Waynes had a fine year by his standards, but he has never truly lived up to his expectations after being drafted in the first round. The rest of the cornerbacks on Minnesota’s roster dealt with injuries far too often in 2019. It appeared to be the end of an era, so to speak. Then an unheralded hero stepped in and saved the day for the Vikings.
Anthony Harris became one of the most reliable defensive backs in football in 2019. Harris took over as Minnesota’s starting safety this year and he was outstanding all season.
He finished the regular season with six interceptions, which was tied for the most in the NFL. It was also the most interceptions by a safety in 2019. His 11 pass deflections were also tied for second on the Vikings.
Whenever Minnesota needed a big play this year, Harris stepped up. Unsurprisingly, he did so again in the Vikings’ wild-card win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.