Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. It’s really a shame that it doesn’t sound like the WNBA will find a way to avoid playing Game 6 of the Finals in a 3,500-seat arena.
In today’s SI:AM:
⛏️ Niners go down
😬 Chiefs get smacked
🗽 McCarthy wins in first start
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Vikings’ D keeps causing headaches
Just as we all suspected, the last undefeated team left standing in the NFL is … the Vikings?
While the 49ers and Chiefs both lost yesterday, Minnesota eked out a 16–10 win over the Colts at home to improve to 6–0.
Who would have predicted that the Vikings would get off to a start like this one year after going 9–8 and scrambling to overhaul their quarterback room? Replacing J.J. McCarthy with Kyler Murray, cut by the Cardinals after seven uneven seasons, didn’t seem like it would instantly turn the Vikings into a Super Bowl contender.
But it’s the other side of the ball that’s responsible for Minnesota’s success this season. The Vikings have been terrorizing opponents with a relentless defense that more than makes up for their ordinary offense. They’re allowing a league-best 12.3 points per game and have surrendered just six offensive touchdowns. (The only other touchdown scored against Minnesota this season was an 87-yard fumble return by the Saints.) They’re the first team since the 2019 Patriots to win their first six games of the season while not surrendering more than six touchdowns.
Defensive coordinator Brian Flores has done an incredible job this season. Pick any defensive metric and odds are the Vikings are leading the league. They’ve allowed the fewest first downs per game, have the highest turnover rate and are tied for the most sacks in the league.
The reason for that success is no secret. The Vikings are making life hell for opposing offenses by blitzing at a nearly unprecedented rate. Flores blitzed on a whopping 57% of plays this season. The next highest rate in the NFL belongs to the Commanders at just 37%. Not that that should come as a surprise. The Vikings also led the NFL in blitz rate last season at a comparatively conservative 44.3%. Blitz data is only available since 2018, but it’s still worth noting that only five teams have sent at least 115 blitzes in their first six games of a season in that time: the 2019 Buccaneers, the ’20 Ravens and the ’23, ’24 and ’26 Vikings (all under Flores).
Opposing teams surely know by now that Flores is going to bring the heat, but they’re still powerless to stop it. The Vikings lead the league in quarterback pressures and QB hurries per dropback.
Yesterday’s game was no exception. The Vikings sacked Daniel Jones four times, including one in the red zone that forced the Colts to settle for a field goal at the end of the first half and back-to-back sacks that derailed the opening possession of the second half.
Indianapolis led 10–6 at halftime, but the Vikings’ defense smothered the Colts in the second half. The Colts got five possessions after halftime. Two of them were five-play drives that ended in punts. On two of them, the Vikings came up with third-down stops to force long field goal attempts, both of which Spencer Shrader missed. The last one ended with an interception by veteran Minnesota safety Harrison Smith.
A year after we saw the Broncos’ elite defense drag their so-so offense to the No. 1 seed in the AFC, it looks like we could have a repeat in the NFC.
The best of Sports Illustrated
The top five…
… things I saw yesterday:
5. Jahmyr Gibbs’s quick thinking to go down short of the end zone, allowing the Lions to run the clock out before their winning field goal.
4. Bo Nix’s 62-yard touchdown run—30 yards longer than his previous career long.
3. Raiders receiver Tre Tucker’s ankle-breaking move on his way to the end zone.
2. Cam Skattebo’s 42-yard run in overtime to set up Devin Singletary’s 30-yard game-winning touchdown run.
1. The chaotic finish to the LA Galaxy-LAFC match. LAFC appeared to have scored a last-minute winner after a bonkers sequence, but it was disallowed for offsides. The rivalry game ended in a 2–2 draw as the Galaxy continue to sit on the playoff bubble.
📺 What we’re watching today …
NFL
Cowboys at Eagles, 8:15 p.m. ET, ABC
Philadelphia is on a four-game losing streak and will start Tanner McKee at QB. Dallas has scored just 29 points over their past two games, losses to Tampa Bay and Green Bay.
MLB
Brewers at Rays, 8 p.m. ET, Fox
Two games. Two one-run victories. Milwaukee is now two games away from winning its first World Series title as the series shifts south.
WNBA
Dream at Valkyries, 8 p.m. ET, USA Network
Turnovers have been key in the series: The team with fewer turnovers has won every game. The Valkyries will look to defend home court at Ballhalla and take a 3–2 series lead.
NBA
Mavericks at Heat, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV
While Giannis Antetokounmpo has averaged 28.3 points per game, Miami has yet to win. The Heat will aim to change that tonight against the Mavericks and Cooper Flagg, who is questionable after spraining his left shoulder.
Warriors at Nuggets, 10 p.m. ET, Peacock
Denver center Nikola Jokić had his first triple-double of the season against the Pelicans, tallying 35 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. Jokić is now one triple-double away from 200 in his regular-season career and within 10 triple-doubles of tying Russell Westbrook for the all-time lead.
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