Not only have the Minnesota Vikings allowed the fewest points in the NFL (among teams with four games played), but they have grabbed the second most interceptions and allowed the third fewest yards per play. Oh, and they did all that against Aaron Rodgers, Cam Newton and Eli Manning.
The next quarterback in line is far less experienced than the previous three. Brock Osweiler will go against the menacing Vikings defense in just his 12th career start. Sufficed to say, he’s impressed by what he’s seen on film.
On a conference call with the Vikings media, he gave an extremely detailed breakdown of all the good things Minnesota has done defensively.
“When you watch that unit on tape, they really grab your eye,” Osweiler said. “I think it really starts with the front. The front and the [linebackers] are extremely athletic, everyone is flying to the ball, they’re making plays in the backfield, the edge guys are getting to the quarterback, inside with Joseph there’s a lot of internal pressure, they’re blowing up the run game.
“Then when you look at the secondary, there’s some veterans back there and they are really savvy players. They understand how to pattern read, they’re not afraid to be aggressive and make plays on the ball. There’s not a lot of bad [things] you can say about that unit. When you turn on the tape, no matter which group of 11 guys are on the field, they’re flying around, they’re physical and they’re making plays. So we know we have a huge challenge going into Sunday’s game..”
Osweiller has led the Houston Texans to a 3-1 record, but he has averaged just 6.5 Yards Per Attempt and thrown six interceptions and only five touchdowns. The Texans’ offense has the fourth fewest points in the NFL and the seventh most turnovers.
On paper, it looks like Sunday should be a feeding frenzy for the Vikings’ defense. But the Texans are not without dangerous players on offense. Last season, DeAndre Hopkins was one of the NFL’s best receivers with 111 catches for 1,521 yards on 192 targets.
Osweiler has spread the ball around more than the assemblage of Texans quarterbacks did in 2015. While Hopkins has 17 catches, rookie Will Fuller has 19, Ryan Griffith has grabbed 14 and Lamar Miller 13. In comparison, Houston’s No. 2 receiver last year was 64 catches behind Hopkins.
“He’s got an extremely strong arm,” head coach Mike Zimmer said. “For a big guy, he’s mobile. He seems to know where to go with the football. He’s got several really good receivers. Two young guys, Braxton Miller and [Will] Fuller, both young guys who are athletic and obviously Hopkins.”
The Texans are coming off their best offensive game under Osweiller, scoring 27 points and posting 359 yards of total offense.
“The one thing I want to do in this next quarter [of the season] is being more consistent with my play and protecting the ball,” Osweiler said. “We have a tremendous football team down here in Houston, I think we have a great offense. I think if I can do my job at a high level on a more consistent note and protect the football, we’ll be OK.”
The post Brock Osweiler: Vikings defense will be ‘huge challenge’ appeared first on 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
Source:: 1500 ESPN Sportswire
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