Vikings: Should we be concerned with the defense?
The Minnesota Vikings switched their defense from a 4-3 to a 3-4 scheme, and it hasn’t exactly worked the way they had hoped for. Should we be concerned with the defense moving forward?
The Vikings finally moved on from Mike Zimmer and his 4-3 scheme. I was excited for change because the previous defense was progressively getting worse.
Bringing in a new coaching staff and scheme was a breath of fresh air, but the 3-4 look hasn’t exactly been successful.
The Vikings started the season off with an impressive win over the Green Bay Packers, and the defense looked really good. After one game, it appeared like the 3-4 defense was legit and that it should work for most of the season.
| 2021 | 2022 | |
| Opponent Points Per Game | 20.0 | 20.4 |
| Opponent Passing Yards Per Game | 263.5 | 249.4 |
| Opponent Rushing Yards Per Game | 130.7 | 120.4 |
| Opponent Total Yards Per Game | 394.5 | 369.8 |
The defense this year is marginally better from 2021, though the defense has gotten better each week. We’re going to ignore the Chicago Bears game because the defense took a step back. Before Sunday’s performance, Minnesota was showing signs of improvement.
The Vikings are still learning a new defense, so early mistakes aren’t surprising. However, they should be a little further along by now. It’s been five weeks, and they haven’t exactly played the most elite offenses. Yes, the Philadelphia Eagles are good, but beyond them, they haven’t been put to the test.
They’ve struggled to get to the quarterback, which is why they only have 11 sacks (middle of the pack). Some of that is schematical issues, but part of it is Danielle Hunter, who hasn’t been racking up the stats as we’ve seen in prior years.
The biggest issue has been giving up big plays or just passes in general down the middle of the field. The way their defense lines up in Cover 2, they almost always leave the middle part of the field wide open. If teams wanted to have the most success, they should run a lot of slants.
The defense isn’t running plays to its fullest potential. That’s because it’s a new defense and personnel group. That comes with time, and it should only get better as the year goes on. We have to remind ourselves that it’s early days, and it’s not going to magically get better overnight.
