Riddle me this: What running back has had the most success against Minnesota's stingy run defense in the past 2 1/2 years?
Tick.
Tock.
Tick.
Tock.
Time's up. Did I hear someone say Ryan Grant? You're right. Grant has two of the top four performances by an opposing record over that span, a stretch of 40 games in which the Vikings have either led the NFL in run defense or ranked no lower than second. He is one of only two players with a 100-yard game against the Vikings and has a total of 211 yards in two career games against them.
There is no one explanation for Grant's success against the Vikings, although on both occasions the yards have come in bunches. Last season, Grant amassed 81 of his 119 yards on two possessions in the first quarter. In the teams' first game this season, 57 of his 92 yards came on one run.
Here's a look at the leading rusher from every Vikings opponent over the 40-game stretch:
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sort comments by: Most Recent | First Posted
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Kevin Seifert
Seifert joined ESPN.com in 2008 after covering the Minnesota Vikings for the Minneapolis Star Tribune for eight years. He lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and daughter.