Minnesota Vikings Week 11 Superlatives

The Minnesota Vikings defeated the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. After a cardiac arrest-inducing, first eight games, the Vikings have played consecutive good games. Two wins. Hopefully, it’s the start of something special. The Vikings beat the Packers! Here are some of the players that made it happen.

Offensive Player of the Week

This one’s easy. Justin Jefferson was the best football player on the field. 

8 catches, 169 yards, 2 TDs (9,23)

The Packers had no answer for Jefferson. 

Defensive Player of the Week

Aaron Rodgers always presents a brutal challenge for a defense. If not for his usual play-making, the Vikings win this game by several scores. The plays that kept the Packers in the game were the plays that only Rodgers can make. A defense can do everything right and this sumbitch can still make things go the Packers way. That being said, the Vikings defense had enough “wins” to be on the right side of the final score. It was a team effort but the defensive player of the week is a welcome back to the field for Harrison Smith. His statistical tally:

4 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss. 

Smith’s had a statistically quiet start to the season but his impact isn’t always measured by statistics. He missed the last two games due to COVID stupidity, so this game was a welcome back to the field for him. Hopefully this game is the start of a strong second half of the season for Smith. Also, hopefully, he can be on the field for the rest of the season. Getting vaccinated would help. 

Honorable Mention:

With two tackles and a hit on Rodgers, Sheldon Richardson didn’t fill the stat sheet. His presence was felt throughout the game. He was often around the ball. His play often allowed others make plays. That is the Mike Zimmer way. He also had some snaps at defensive end. If that’s more than a single game thing, he might see more snaps moving forward. That seems like a good thing. 

Special Teams Player of the Week

This one’s easy. Greg Joseph. His 29-yard field goal with zeroes on the clock was the game-winner. He opened the Vikings scoring with a 51-yarder. He missed an extra point. It’d be nice if he’d stop doing that. But he kicked the game-winner.