Defensive Players to Watch: Minnesota Vikings
The Carolina Panthers (4-7) will travel to Minnesota this weekend to take on the Vikings (4-6). Minnesota has some talented guys on the defensive side of the football that may disrupt the Panthers' passing game. Below are three defensive players to watch for the Vikings on Sunday.
LB Eric Kendricks
Kendricks has really been the glue of the Vikings' front seven since being drafted in 2015. He's been ultra-productive as inside backer and honestly, deserves a heck of a lot more recognition than he receives. Kendricks has strung together four consecutive seasons of 100+ tackles and had 92 tackles and four sacks as a rookie. He's a good run stuffer, but is one of the better coverage linebackers in the NFC. The middle of the field is going to be tough to attack in the air with him and the two guys listed below behind him.
S Harrison Smith
Want the definition of consistency? Harrison Smith is just that. Since coming into the league in 2012, Smith has played at an extremely high level and rarely do you see him out of position or part of a busted coverage. This guy understands his role and understands what opposing quarterbacks want to do with the football. In nine years with Minnesota, he has picked off 26 passes with four of them going back for touchdowns. He has a nose for the football and can bait quarterbacks into making bad decisions.
FS Anthony Harris
An argument can be made that Anthony Harris is one of the most talented safeties in the entire NFL. The only problem is, not many folks know about him or how good he is because of being on a small market team that has been struggling to win games. Last year, Harris had six interceptions and 11 pass deflections, whereas he has zero interceptions and only four pass deflections through ten games this season. He doesn't need to snag picks left and right to be a dominant secondary player, he does so many other things that won't always show up on the stat sheet. With Harris and Smith, Teddy Bridgewater will have to pick his spots carefully on his downfield throws.
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