MINNEAPOLIS -- It might be in part because of the quarterbacks he's facing, but Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer is getting more comfortable turning up the heat on opposing quarterbacks.
Zimmer ordered 16 blitzes of Buccaneers quarterback Mike Glennon in the Vikings' 19-13 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, according to ESPN Stats & Information. That's the most he's blitzed all season, up from 13 the week before against Buffalo and 11 against Detroit. The last three games represent three of the Vikings' four highest blitz totals of the season, and in a game controlled by their defensive front, they were effective when bringing extra pressure.
They registered two of their five sacks on blitzes, intercepted Glennon once and held him to 5.69 yards per dropback on blitzes. The Vikings also exemplified the selfless rush concept Zimmer has been preaching; Sharrif Floyd's second-quarter sack came after Glennon was flushed by Anthony Barr and Tom Johnson, and on the next play, Everson Griffen took Glennon down after Floyd's initial pressure.
"I like the way they’ve played the last three weeks," Zimmer said of the defensive line. "Again, talk to me at the end of the season and I’ll tell you what I think. There’s a long way to go. I never look at defensive rankings or anything like that until at least Thanksgiving. I think by then you kind of know what you are. I hope we can get better than what we are now."
Here are some other observations about the Vikings' defense after a film review of their win over the Buccaneers:
Zimmer sent Barr on 11 of his 16 blitzes and unveiled some new looks to pressure Glennon. On one third-quarter blitz, both Floyd and Johnson dropped into coverage, while Barr and Smith came after the quarterback.
Griffen was at his most disruptive again Sunday, whether he was showing his quickness off the edge, taking an inside rush lane off the stunts with Floyd, peeling off a block to take down Robert Herron on a reverse or ripping down Doug Martin with one hand on a screen. The 26-year-old is an exponentially better fit for Zimmer's defense than a player like Jared Allen; he can move around, drop into coverage and take away the edge with his power and speed.
Barr talked about how he's getting more comfortable in pass coverage, and though he was trailing Austin Seferian-Jenkins on the Buccaneers' fourth-quarter touchdown and got crossed up on a throw to Bobby Rainey earlier in the fourth, he had some nice moments in zone coverage, working with Harrison Smith and either Captain Munnerlyn or Josh Robinson to take away options on the left side of the field.
If there's one nitpick, it's with Xavier Rhodes, who got flagged for two penalties, including an illegal contact call that was declined after Mike Evans beat him for 23 yards. We looked earlier today at the Vikings' penalties late in Sunday's game, and Rhodes is still getting in trouble at times when he carries contact too far up the field. On his illegal contact call in the third quarter, he started jamming Evans about three yards off the line of scrimmage but stayed in contact with him for nearly another 10.