Four absurd stats about the Minnesota Vikings this year
This has been a weird year for the Minnesota Vikings.
The team, once thought of to be out of playoff contention, re-entered the conversation with a surprising three-game winning streak over divisional opponents.
Minnesota seemed like a better team than its 1-5 record once showed, but it also didn’t seem good enough to keep winning and put together a deep playoff run. Eventually, the team’s luck ran out. The Saints officially eliminated the Vikings from the playoffs in Week 16.
There have been ups and downs with crazy stats along the way. Here are four to help summarize what’s happened to the Vikings so far:
DE Yannick Ngakoue still leads the team in sacks
Photo: Stephen Brashear/AP Photo
Ngakoue, who has five sacks as a member of the Vikings this year, still leads the team in that category, despite leaving the team in a trade after six games.
After the Saints game, Dalvin Cook has more rushing touchdowns than 19 NFL teams
Photo: Jim Mone/AP Photo
Vikings running back Dalvin Cook's 16 rushing scores puts him ahead of 19 different teams for rushing touchdowns.
Justin Jefferson broke the Vikings' rookie reception record — in Week 15
Photo: Brad Rempel/USA TODAY Sports
The Bears loss was tough, but Vikings rookie Justin Jefferson put together another strong performance. That helped him break the team's record for most receptions in a rookie season.
The Vikings defense has given up the sixth-most points on average this season
Photo: Brad Rempel/USA TODAY Sports
There are just five teams — the Jets, Raiders, Jaguars, Cowboys and Lions — that have given up more points than Minnesota on a per game average this year. As of the Week 16 loss, Minnesota lets up 29.3 points per game. Not great!
