5 biggest takeaways from the Vikings win vs. Chargers in Week 10

The defense played inspired football.

To say the Minnesota Vikings were short-handed on defense is an understatement. Being without five starters is a tough enough task but going up against an explosive offense that includes last year’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, a dual-threat running back, and a duo of star receivers makes that challenge even bigger.

Minnesota kept the Chargers in front of them all game. The longest pass allowed was 26 yards by Keenan Allen and the longest run given up was a 17 yard run from Austin Ekeler. Limiting the huge plays was a big reason the defense was able to hold Los Angeles to 20 points.

Justin Herbert had a tough day, Although he completed 20 of his 34 pass attempts, the Chargers passer only managed to gain 195 yards while getting sacked twice and being intercepted once on the day.

Holding an explosive team like the Chargers to 253 yards of offense, limiting their time of possession to 23:45, and only allowing 20 first downs shows this defense is hungry and capable, even if they are missing key components of their defense.