5 of 'Kwesi's Guys' who have been key to the Vikings win streak in 2023
By Nik Edlund
3. Harrison Phillips - DL
Harrison Phillips was one of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's first free-agent signings when he took over as the Vikings' general manager. Horrible Harry went on to have a decent debut season with Minnesota, racking up 59 total tackles, three tackles for a loss, and one and a half sacks.
Through 10 games in 2023, he's already surpassing those numbers. Phillips has 60 total tackles and two sacks and is becoming a force in the middle of the Vikings' defensive line.
His best performance was against the Green Bay Packers in Week 8, where he absolutely owned the line of scrimmage. He was consistently pushing the poor Packers center into the backfield, causing a ruckus to the timing of their offense.
He followed that stellar performance up with stout showings against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 9 and the New Orleans Saints in Week 10.
A big reason for Phillips's dominance has to be Minnesota's new defensive coordinator Brian Flores. He is using Phillips much more aggressively and allowing him to attack as part of these all-out blitzes he loves to utilize. Phillips is flourishing in this role, and he will have, by far, the best season of his career in 2023.
Adofo-Mensah got him at a great price in the open market, and he needs to be given more love for the signing. Phillips is becoming a force and is a big reason why the Vikings' defense has gotten consistently better as the season has progressed.