Minnesota lost Danielle Hunter to a season-ending injury. The Vikings also traded away Yannick Ngakoue after a 1-5 start. That showed up in the pass rushing success of the team.
When it comes to its pass rush, Minnesota ranked 32nd of 32 NFL teams by Pro Football Focus. Here’s what the outlet said about the ranking:
“The Vikings lost their starting edge tandem from the 2019 season of Danielle Hunter (to injury) and Everson Griffen (to free agency), and they struggled to replace that production in 2020. The only player on the team with more than 25 pressures was Ifeadi Odenigbo (42), and their team pressure rate of 21.6% ranked dead last over the course of the regular season. That was just part of the story for a Minnesota defense that parted ways with many of their starters this past offseason.”
The Ngakoue trade made sense at the time. Also, he’s not a very balanced player. Still, if the Vikings want a serviceable pass rush next season, the team will have to do more than just have Hunter come back. It will take an upgrade at the other defensive end spot and the three-technique defensive tackle position.
