Last Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, the Minnesota Vikings gave the most snaps this season to non-starters, many of them rookies or newly acquired players. There were likely a couple reasons for that, including injuries and game situation at the end, but the new guys did well for the most part and giving them some reps could help improve the quality of the depth chart on defense which could be valuable as the Vikings position themselves for the postseason.
It Wasn’t a Good Defensive Performance, But It Wasn’t Due to the New Guys
The Vikings had their worst overall team PFF defensive grade against the Falcons last Sunday by a significant margin, including by far their worst run defense grade of the season, but it wasn’t because of the new guys Brian Flores added to the rotation.