Subscribe
Follow Us
The Minnesota Vikings traveled to London in Week 5 and stifled Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets. The veteran signal-caller threw three interceptions against the superb Vikings' defense, including a game-winning pick by cornerback Stephon Gilmore. Down six and with less than a minute left to play, the Jets were on the move and pushing toward the red zone. On third-and-10 from the Vikings' 26, Rodgers delivered a back-shoulder throw to Mike Williams that Gilmore made a great play on to seal the game. After the matchup, Gilmore spoke about Rodgers' ball placement tendencies and how he knew it was coming, per Ben Goessling of the Minnesota Star Tribune.
“He [Rodgers] is the king of the back shoulder. I just played good technique and made a play on the ball.”
Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell also spoke about Gilmore's impact on this defense in these key situations.
“You think back to last year, where if you insert Gilly into some of those moments and you can get a little stickier with your coverage, playing some calls right there, where he's really kind of on an island, as we're trying to worry about where Garrett Wilson is. He knows the ball might find him in those moments, and he's ready to not only make the play, but catch the football. You have to have finishers.”
Gilmore's interception shut down the Jets' momentum and sealed Minnesota's 5-0 start to the 2024 NFL season.
The Vikings' defense is the silent MVP behind 5-0 start
Minnesota has a -34.5% defensive DVOA, which is best in the NFL by nearly two-fold, as the No. 2 New Orleans Saints are at -17.5%. What this means when comparing their performance based on situation and opponent against the league-average baseline, the Vikings defense significantly outperforms the rest of the league.
Vikings' Justin Jefferson was critical of the offense's performance but acknowledged how the defense came up big in their win against the Jets when speaking with NFL Network's Stacy Dales.
“I feel like we didn't play well on the offensive side of the ball. You know, we didn't have any energy. I mean, we had energy in ourselves, but we didn't make the place to, you know, contribute the energy. So, I mean, it's definitely a tough win. We definitely got to give thanks to our defense today for giving us this dub. But offensively, it wasn't good enough.”
The Vikings have a bye in Week 6 but will host the Detroit Lions in Week 7 on Sunday, October 20, at 1:00 p.m. EST.
