The Minnesota Vikings took the mantra of Survivor to heart in a 3-0 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday afternoon.
Outlast, outwit, outplay.
That epitomized the Vikings’ defense on Sunday. They didn’t just earn the first Vikings shutout since 2017 but it was the lowest scoring indoor game in National Football League history.
The Vikings’ defense has allowed just 12 points over the last two games and continues to be the biggest bright spot for the franchise in 2023.
The Pro Football Focus grades are in and reflect well on the Vikings’ defense as a whole. Here are the grades from Sunday’s game.
Top 5 defensive grades
- ILB Ivan Pace Jr.: 92.9
- S Josh Metellus: 89.6
- CB Mekhi Blackmon: 83.4
- OLB Danielle Hunter: 80.4
- ILB Troy Dye: 74.4
Bottom 5 defensive grades
- S Theo Jackson: 44.3
- NT Shledon Day: 52.9
- CB Byron Murphy Jr.: 58.6
- S Jay Ward: 60.4
- OLB Pat Jones II: 63.7
Top 5 run defense grades
- OLB D.J. Wonnum: 80.8
- DE Jonathan Bullard: 74.1
- S Camryn Bynum: 71.7
- DE Jaquelin Roy: 71.0
- NT Harrison Phillips: 69.1
Bottom 5 run defense grades
- ILB Ivan Pace Jr.: 50.0
- S Harrison Smith: 57.1
- NT Sheldon Day: 58.1
- OLB Pat Jones II: 60.0
- CB Mekhi Blackmon: 60.6
Top 5 pass rush grades
- OLB Danielle Hunter: 76.0
- ILB Troy Dye: 71.2
- ILB Ivan Pace Jr.: 67.1
- OLB D.J. Wonnum: 64.8
- OLB Pat Jones II: 61.9
Bottom 5 pass rush grades
- DE Jonathan Bullard: 50.8
- NT Sheldon Day: 51.6
- S Harrison Smith: 54.8
- S Josh Metellus: 56.3
- DE Jaquelin Roy: 56.6
Top 5 coverage grades
- ILB Ivan Pace Jr.: 93.3
- S Josh Metellus: 90.4
- CB Mekhi Blackmon: 83.1
- CB Akayleb Evans: 69.5
- S Harrison Smith: 68.6
Bottom 5 coverage grades
- OLB D.J. Wonnum: 35.6
- S Theo Jackson: 46.6
- CB Byron Murphy Jr.: 57.3
- NT Harrison Phillips: 59.0
- S Jay Ward: 60.3
Top 5 tackling grades
- S Josh Metellus: 80.0
- CB Mekhi Blackmon: 78.9
- S Camryn Bynum: 78.8
- ILB Troy Dye: 74.0
- OLB Danielle Hunter: 72.6
Bottom 5 tackling grades
- S Theo Jackson: 22.6
- OLB D.J. Wonnum: 27.5
- CB Byron Murphy Jr.: 44.8
- CB Akayleb Evans: 45.9
- S Harrison Smith: 50.5
