Inside The Vikings

Brian Flores Praises Danielle Hunter's Impact Against Falcons

Hunter came up huge during the Vikings' goal line stand in the second quarter.
Will Ragatz|
Brian Flores Praises Danielle Hunter's Impact Against Falcons
Brian Flores Praises Danielle Hunter's Impact Against Falcons

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Minnesota Vikings

In Sunday's win over the Falcons, Danielle Hunter was held without a sack for just the second time in nine games. Pro Football Focus credited him with just a single QB pressure.

And yet, defensive coordinator Brian Flores believes it was the best Hunter has played all year. Not his three-sack performance against the Eagles or other high-pressure games against the 49ers and Packers. This one.

Hunter finished the game with a season-high nine tackles, one of them for a loss. He took on double teams and was constantly disruptive. Most notably, he came up huge on back-to-back Falcons rush attempts from the Vikings' 1 yard-line in the second quarter. Atlanta ran to his side twice in a row and came up short both times, settling for a field goal instead of taking a possible 15-3 lead.

"Individually, Danielle made two monstrous plays there," Flores said. "In my opinion, this was the best game he's played. And I know there wasn't the sack production, but there were some things he did in this game that were eye-popping and really showed off his abilities in the run game, his strength, his tenacity, his impact on the game in some areas that aren't the sack department. I was very, very impressed. I thought it was the best game he's played this season."

Hunter, the reigning NFC defensive player of the month for October, still leads the NFL with ten sacks through nine weeks. But as Flores often points out, those are just a tiny portion of the snaps he plays. It's the impact Hunter has on an every-down basis that makes him a special player.

Other defensive standouts in Atlanta

Numerous defensive players stepped up and made big plays for the Vikings in Sunday's victory. Here are a few of them:

  • Jordan Hicks had a team-high 11 tackles and the only sack of the game for the Vikings, which was set up by an incredible rep from rookie Ivan Pace Jr. Hicks, one of the team's veteran leaders, also had an addition TFL and a pass breakup.
  • Byron Murphy Jr. had maybe the best game of his season with a key interception, a pass breakup, and a tackle for loss. PFF credited him with allowing just two catches for 23 yards on seven targets.
  • Akayleb Evans had seven tackles and forced a key fumble in the third quarter.
  • The player who recovered that fumble was Josh Metellus, who went into a busy pile and emerged with the ball. He also had two QB hits and a tackle for loss.
  • Rookie Mekhi Blackmon didn't give up a catch on either of the two targets that went towards his assignment.
  • Khyiris Tonga made a big play right before Hunter's two stops, hustling out of the box to chase down Jonnu Smith on a tight end screen and take him down just shy of the goal line. 

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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