I think they can. Why? They've got depth. When you've got Stephen Weatherly and Tom Johnson rotating in, at the level they're playing, it helps the entire line. Remember last year, it was Griffen, Hunter, Joseph and Johnson ... period. Against the Saints, they ran out of gas.VikingLord wrote: ↑Mon Nov 05, 2018 10:28 amThe question I have is, can they keep it up? Can they play with that level of intensity and consistency for the rest of the season and take it into the playoffs? Because if they can, with the guys behind them in the secondary and at LB, this is a defense that can get them deep into the playoffs.J. Kapp 11 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 05, 2018 9:05 am They continued with the interior of the Vikings defense.
Joseph, Richardson and Johnson collapsed the pocket time after time, forcing Stafford sideways and into the waiting arms of Hunter and Griffen. Even with 5 sacks between Hunter and Griffen, I can't tell you how many times the Vikings DEs nearly got home in addition to those, and it's because of the interior. They were completely dominant.
One thing I was noticing yesterday was how frequently the Vikings rotated the D-line. I don't think the snaps were split exactly evenly between the 6 players, but pretty darned close. I recall Hunter was pressuring Stafford time after time on one drive ... I think he might have had 1.5 or 2 sacks in a row. Then the next series, Weatherly was in and Hunter was out. I looked over, and Hunter was standing on the sidelines, helmet in hand, ready to go. The series after that, it was Weatherly and Hunter while Griff got a blow. They're also versatile. Johnson played both 3-tech and nose, and Hunter played both ends -- took the right end spot when Griff was resting, left end when Griff was in the game.
If we can keep all 6 of them healthy, I think there's a good chance they can maintain a very high level of play. Probably not 10 sacks per game, but a high level.
