Football Outsiders on the Vikings defense: Could they be even better? iter Scott Kacsmar in conjunction with the release of this year’s Football Outsiders 2018 Almanac. The first few days of questions focused on the Minnesota Vikings’ offense Garrett Bradbury white jersey , and now we’re going to move on to the other side of the football.Last season, the Vikings fielded one of the best defenses in the National Football League, finishing #1 in the NFL in both points and yardage allowed. They bring back nearly all the starters, and added a lot more pieces in free agency (though it should be noted that these questions were sent to Scott before the Vikings added safety George Iloka earlier this week). So, what does he think of this year’s version of the Zim Reapers?On defense, the Vikings only lost one starter from 2017, and they replaced him with a former Defensive Rookie of the Year in Sheldon Richardson. Is there reason to believe that the Vikings’ defense won’t be every bit as stingy in 2018 as they were in 2017?If the Vikings’ defense does have a weak spot, or at the very least something that’s merely “average” rather than outstanding, it’s the lack of turnovers that Scott mentions in his answer. The Vikings, as a team, only had 19 turnovers in the regular season in 2017, though thanks to the way their offense performed they still finished with a +5 in the giveaway/takeaway numbers. It would be helpful for the Vikings if they could generate a few more turnovers this year, certainly.However, this defense has talent on top of talent on top of talent. There are legitimate stars on all three levels, and not only that, but there’s incredibly solid depth at all of those positions as well. The one exception to that is the linebacker spot, but with the way the Vikings have managed their roster they’re not going to play a lot of base 4-3, and can use their defensive backs in a manner that could mitigate a lot of the issues if something were to happen to either Eric Kendricks or Anthony Barr.We’ve got one final defensive question for Scott Kacsmar of Football Outsiders that we will be presenting you with tomorrow Garrett Bradbury Minnesota Vikings Jerseys , so keep your eyes out for that. And, once again, for some of the NFL’s best statistical analysis, be sure to grab yourself a copy of the Football Outsiders 2018 Almanac to peruse while you’re waiting for the regular season to start. Hi kids, and welcome to the (snowy?!) weekend, at least if you’re in Minnesota. Down here STL way, it’s colder, might get some flurries over the weekend, but yeah...it was 75 yesterday.Anyway,..."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Vikings 2018 SeasonVikings 2019 OffseasonU.S. Bank StadiumMinnesota Vikings PodcastsGreatest Playoff Win of All Time TournamentGreatest Playoff Win of All Time Tournament,Final Four Game 1New,38commentsCDTShareTweetShareShareGreatest Playoff Win of All Time Tournament, Final Four Game 1Hi kids, and welcome to the (snowy?!) weekend, at least if you’re in Minnesota. Down here STL way, it’s colder, might get some flurries over the weekend, but yeah...it was 75 yesterday.Anyway Minnesota Vikings Jerseys Stitched , we’re down to our final four games left to decide the greatest playoff win of all time, and to be honest, it’s the four games I thought would be here. We have four really great ones left, and any one of them would make a fine champion, so may the best game win. Up until now, I’ve given a game summary, but if you click on the ‘Great Playoff Win of All Time Tournament’ link above, you can scroll through and read about those in any of the previous rounds, and catch some YouTube highlights as well. Today, I’m going to change it up, and give you why I think each game is the greatest win ever.As always, I’ll put a poll at the end, which will be open for about 24 hours. You’ll get to vote, and the winner by popular vote will advance to the final. Our first final four game features the 1969 NFL Championship game against the Cleveland Browns versus the 2004 Wildcard game against the Green Bay Packers.1969 NFL Championship against the Browns. For fans that are old enough to remember the entirety of the Purple People Eaters era, this was the apex of that era, as a lot of folks think this was the best team Bud Grant ever put on the field. It was the Vikings that people remember—a tough, hard nosed team that played in brutal conditions, creating the best homefield advantage in the NFL. This team was the last official NFL Champion Garrett Bradbury black jersey , and the 1969 season epitomized the Purple People Eaters era. QB Joe Kapp was the unquestioned leader, and represented everything that fans of the Vikings loved: a blue collar guy that didn’t throw a textbook pass, but made up for it with guts and willpower. This era has become somewhat mythical for those who witnessed it, and the 1969 team will always be a special one. And it’s this game that represents what that 1969 team was about.2004 Wildcard game against the Packers. Was this the best team in franchise history? No, not even close. It was a talented group, but like every team of the Mike Tice era, it was as schizophrenic as Minnesota weather in April. The Vikings really struggled at the end of the year, and couldn’t clinch a plyoff spot on their own, needing a series of breaks to back in to the last wildcard spot. No one gave them a shot against the Packers at Lambeau Field. Which is why this game merits serious consideration for the greatest playoff win in franchise history. They put it all together and beat their firecest rival, on the road, against a Hall of Fame quarterback running a team many people thought would go to the Super Bowl. And not only did they beat them, they dominated them for most of the game. When you add those things together, and the Randy Moss ‘Moon Over Lambeau’ when the Vikings iced the game, yeah, this win is among the best.