Houston Texans vs. Minnesota Vikings Preview – September 22, 2024

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings let Danielle Hunter leave as a free agent this year, deciding not to pay market value for a player who had become the franchise’s youngest player in a long line of productive pass rushers.

Hunter instead joined the Houston Texans, seizing the opportunity to play for an up-and-coming team in his hometown. After two games, the undefeated Texans are the NFL leaders in sack rate per pass play (16.1%) while they have 10th-year veteran Hunter on one side and Will Anderson Jr. on the other, according to the Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year 2023, others can boast.

However, the Vikings are still going after those quarterbacks, which is the design and joy of defensive coordinator Brian Flores.

Hunter’s departure in March was stemmed by the acquisition of free agent edge rushers Andrew Van Ginkel (from Miami) and Jonathan Greenard (coincidentally from Houston). Then in April, the Vikings selected Alabama star Dallas Turner in the first round after making sure they got a quarterback, JJ McCarthy. The Vikings also added ninth-year veteran Jihad Ward in the second wave of free agency.

These four players combined have roughly the same salary cap hit as Hunter this season. The Vikings will once again put their roster-building strategy and pass-rushing skills to the test when they host Hunter and the Texans on Sunday, tasked with acquiring CJ Stroud, the 2023 Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. to defeat.

“We have a lot of guys that can all play and we really used those guys,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said.

The Vikings are undefeated themselves, which is due to the second-best sack rate in the league (14.1 percent). Their group of versatile edge rushers includes fourth-year backup Patrick Jones II, who has four of the team’s NFL-most 11 sacks.

“Flo has done a good job of recruiting smart, reliable, tough people who love football,” Van Ginkel said. If you have that, you have a recipe for success.

When Minnesota defeated defending NFC champion San Francisco last week, Minnesota forced the 49ers to a 2-for-10 performance on third-down conversions. On eight of those 10 plays, Flores called on his race car package, which gets the heaviest players off the field and puts four pass-rush specialists on the starting line.

“These five players play a big role in putting together the weekly schedule,” O’Connell said.

Not that the Vikings wouldn’t still like to have a player like Hunter, who landed in a formidable starting lineup with Anderson Jr. on the opposite side.

“It’s really special when you have two teams that play the way they know how to play,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said, adding: “They don’t talk a lot, don’t talk a lot outside, but they love football and that “That’s what connects them.” Two guys who care about playing the game the right way. They are intense, they are physical players and they love to test themselves.

The Collins connection

Texas wide receiver Nico Collins leads the NFL with 252 receiving yards, making him the only player in the league with two 100-yard games. Collins, who rushed for a career-high 1,297 yards last season, formed a unique bond with Stroud since the Texans drafted the quarterback second overall last year out of Ohio State.

“Reps after reps after reps, those are the things you accumulate over time and wait for moments like this,” said Collins, a 2021 third-round pick out of Michigan. So let’s make it look easy.

The trend is increasing

Vikings star wide receiver Justin Jefferson was forced to leave the game against San Francisco late in the third quarter because of a bruised quadriceps, but he has practiced limitedly this week and is leaning toward being suspended for Sunday. Jefferson said Thursday that he will definitely play.

Another tough test

Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold ranks fifth in the league in passer rating, marking a strong start to his reset season in a career that has taken him to four teams in seven years since he was the third overall pick in the 2018 draft .

“I definitely feel very comfortable with the offense and the system,” Darnold said. I feel like I can continue to grow.

Ka’imi’s big kicks

Houston’s Kaimi Fairbairn was the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after making all four of his field goal attempts against the Bears. He made three from more than 50 yards, including a 59-yarder that was the second-longest kick in franchise history behind his 61-yarder in 2021.

Fairbairn has a record of 7-for-7 on field goals and 3-for-3 on extra points this season, with six goals from more than 50 yards.

“He’s always cool right now,” Ryans said. It never gets too high or too low. He’s shooting 59-yard field goals and still standing on the sideline saying, ‘Hey, this is what I do.’ When you exhibit that behavior, I think it really helps you.

The eight-year-old player practiced meditation every morning.

Just try to find that inner peace every day, Fairbairn said.

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