ReFo: Vikings @ Texans, Week 16

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Scintillating Substitute

With Brian Robison missing this week’s game due to injury, Everson Griffen was left to make the first start of his three-year career — and he did not disappoint. The official stat sheet may not say much for Griffen (+6.7) being a dominant force in the game (no sacks, one tackle), but he was a constant menace in the Houston backfield and an important disruptive factor that kept the Texans’ offense from ever getting on track. On 29 pass rushes, Griffen recorded seven pressures (2 Ht, 5 Hu) and batted a pass. Meanwhile, he may have recorded only one stop in the run game, but he made that count whipping Derek Newton to his inside to corral Arian Foster for a 4-yard loss. He also ensured the Texans couldn’t build any momentum on stretches to his side, and that they never had a clean path to the outside. Combine that with his opportunistic fumble recovery and you have an impactful day from a player in his first start. As a backup in the Vikings’ very low rotation defensive line, Griffen’s opportunities from game to game are somewhat limited, so he had to make the most of his moment in the shop window against the AFC’s No. 1 team — he did just that and more.

Mixed Fortunes Up Front

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2 ... s-week-16/