Ben Goessling, ESPN Staff Writer 8y

Defense-first Super Bowl champ provides hope for Vikings

MINNEAPOLIS -- The time after a Super Bowl is often the season for 31 fanbases to assess the new champion with an eye toward similarities between the team on top and their favorite. The way the champion got there, it's often said, can serve as a blueprint for others to copy. It's why coordinators from those teams eventually get head coaching chances, assistants get opportunities to become coordinators, and players either become templates for a draft pick with similar traits or high-priced components in the copycat game.

The Denver Broncos, with their lithe pass rushers and confident secondary that often compensated for Peyton Manning's shortcomings at age 39, will certainly inspire some imitation around the NFL in coming months and years, and they're part of a trend that belies the popular myth about the NFL solely being a "passing league." Yes, offense around the league has risen every year since 2005 -- save for a 0.7-yard dip from 2013 to 2014 -- and has jumpedĀ 36.8 yards in that time to an average of 352.7 per game in 2015, according to ESPN Stats and Information. But the championship teams of recent vintage have, more often than not, been some of the league's best on defense.

Eight of the last 12 teams to play in Super Bowls ranked in the top 10 in scoring defense. The last three champions -- the Broncos, New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks -- finished fourth, eighth and first, respectively, and the 2010 Green Bay Packers were second. This year, five of the six NFC playoff teams, including the Minnesota Vikings, were among the league's top 12 in points allowed. It's no longer true, if it ever was, that a champion's pedigree can include a wanton disregard for defense.

Here the Vikings enter the picture, full of hope after their fifth-ranked defense helped them win the NFC North for the first time since 2009. They've got a sound, commanding defense that should return mostly intact, and in linebacker Anthony Barr, they have a player who drew some comparisons to Super Bowl MVP Von Miller after the Vikings drafted him in 2014. And there's precedent now that a dominating defense can carry a team to a championship without an explosive offense.

In 19 games (including playoffs), the Broncos' defense accounted for more than 10 expected points six times, according to ESPN Stats and Information, and contributed more than their offense in 12 games. The 2013 Seahawks also had 12 games where they got more expected points from their defense than their offense, and eight games where the group delivered at least 10 expected points.

The flip side, however, is this: The Vikings' window to contend is opening precisely at a moment where top NFC teams such asĀ Carolina, Arizona and Seattle also boast nasty defenses, and even the Packers made strides on that side of the ball.

The Vikings might not need their offense to be the identity of their team, but coach Mike Zimmer has made it clear he expects more from the group than he got this year. Zimmer will expect development from quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and better protection from the Vikings' offensive line, but ascending in the NFC could mean the Vikings will have to produce in playoff games against formidable defenses. Given the makeup of the teams in power at the moment, it's hard to foresee a championship path for Minnesota that doesn't involve an ability to at least stand up against a great defense.

The good news for the Vikings, though, is that they could be on their way to flashing a great defense of their own, and they're doing it at a time where a defense-first approach looks like a viable way to win a championship. The Broncos proved it again on Sunday, and in the race to mimic what they've done, the Vikings are in closer pursuit than many teams.

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