The Minnesota Vikings take on the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon and the defense is in an intriguing position.
Going into week eight, the Vikings’ defense are 5th in points allowed and 14th in yards allowed with a lot of room for improvement. The unit itself has shown flashes of being great and a bye week to scout themselves and improve.
As we move into the last 11 games of the season, here is what to watch for with each position group on defense.
Defensive line: Is Danielle Hunter standing up or putting his hand in the dirt?
The switch to a 3-4 has been a factor for Hunter’s slow start. Defensive coordinator Ed Donatell said he wasn’t concerned with Hunter’s slow start because it takes time when you transition from a 4-3 to a 3-4. His last game against the Dolphins was also his best statistically with six pressures and a sack. He was also used almost evenly with his hand in the dirt and standing up. That has helped him feel more comfortable. How Donatell uses Hunter moving forward will be interesting and it will tell us if he is truly uncomfortable standing up consistently.
Linebackers: Will we see more of Brian Asamoah?
The Vikings third-round pick from this past draft, Asamoah was viewed as a long-term project that shouldn’t play much this season. He has eight snaps on defense this season and head coach Kevin O’Connell has spoken to the media about wanting to get him more involved on defense. Defensive coordinator Donatell confirmed that on Thursday when speaking with the media.
Vikings DC Ed Donatell on rookie LB Brian Asamoah: “His role is expanding.”
— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) October 27, 2022
With Jordan Hicks playing a very sporadic and inconsistent brand of football, giving Asamoah a chance would both help develop him for the future and give the Vikings a playmaker in space.
Cornerback: Is Cam Dantzler developing into a star at cornerback?
When the Vikings spent two top 100 draft picks at cornerback, they were hoping the latter would become a serviceable player. He has become more than that this season. Dantzler has had a really good season thus far. There have been a couple of coverage busts but those communication issues will be fixed as the unit gets more comfortable in this new scheme. Per PFF, Dantzler has had two coverage grades of over 83 on the season and averages out at 70.6. He is also PFF’s 40th-best cornerback this season which should see improvement as the season progresses. With Patrick Peterson slowing down more and more, the emergence of Dantzler, who should see plenty of DeAndre Hopkins this Sunday, is a huge positive for the future of the Vikings.
Safety: Harrison Smith still has it
Despite the new scheme, Smith is still one of the best safeties in the National Football League and is proving it week in and week out. There are numerous examples of him still being great, including directing traffic on the backend. Smith still has some of his athletic prowess but that is bound to tail off at some point. His intelligence and football IQ have served him well so far and will continue to do so. He and Camryn Bynum will continue to be stalwarts on the back end but Smith communicating with his teammates on the back end has been key to their defensive success.
