The 5 Most Surprising Vikings Stats in 2024
Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.
The Minnesota Vikings have six games to close out the 2024 regular season and probably need a 1-5 record or better to reach the postseason.
Minnesota is 9-2 through 12 weeks, cruising through a regular season in which it was only supposed to win about six or seven games.
The 5 Most Surprising Vikings Stats in 2024
The Vikings won five games out of the gate, lost two after the bye week, and rebounded by winning four straight in the last month.
Along the way, the Vikings have tabulated some surprising stats, good and bad. These are those ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = most surprising).
5. A Flipped Script via Playcalling
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports.
Vikings Rushing Playcall %,
Under Kevin OāConnell,
NFL Ranking:
2022: 30th
2023: 30th
2024: 9th
The Vikingsā skipper finally got the memo stating his offense would perform more efficiently if he ran the football more than third-least in the business.
Hallelujah.
4. A Takeaway Juggernaut
Minnesota Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores addressed the media from the TCO Performance Center on October 16th, 2024. Flores was hired in February 2023 to take over for Ed Donatell after Minnesota finished 30th in points allowed.
Minnesota ranks No. 1 in the NFL in takeaways on defense and special teams. No team squeezes the ball away from the opposition more via interception and fumble than the Vikings.
Last year, the purple team produced too many giveaways and didnāt force enough turnover to compensate for its clumsiness. This season, it changed that tendency, ranking best in the league at stealing the rock away from the opponent.
3. Sam Darnoldās Nifty Stat Line
Steve Roberts-Imagn Images.
Darnold never caught on as a viable starter before 2024. He just didnāt.
Now, this is the 2024 campaign scaled to 17 games:
4,199 Passing Yards
34 Total Touchdowns
15 Interceptions
Ranks 10th per EPA+CPOE
Because Kevin OāConnell is in charge of the Vikingsā offense and Darnoldās tutelage, most assumed Darnold would be better in 2024. But now heās performing at a Top 1o or Top 15 quarterbackās level.
Itās quite remarkable.
2. Historically Good Run Defense
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) throws the ball under pressure from Minnesota defensive end Jonathan Bullard (90) on Sunday, September 29, 2024, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The Vikings won the game, 31-29. Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin.
Opponents tag Minnesota for 74 rushing yards per game. That ranks tops in the NFL ā in a good way.
The Vikingsā rushing defense is statistically akin to the mid-2000s teams that featured āThe Williams Wall.ā But because the defensive lineās interior doesnāt feature household names, the group flies under the radar.
Brian Floresā run defense is No. 1 in the sport, which is pretty noteworthy. He doesnāt even showcase a true-blue nose tackle.
1. The NFLās Best Defense ā Hands Down
Brad Rempel-Imagn Images.
The Vikingsā defense ranks first in the NFL per DVOA and EPA/Play through 11 games. No team is better.
Vikings fans expected defensive improvement from 2023 to 2024, mainly because talent spiked in free agency and the draft. But nobody really thought the unit would turn totally elite.
Here we are.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, āThe Sopranos,ā Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
