The Vikings defense is so dominant that it's on a historic pace

Is there a better defense than the Minnesota Vikings in 2024? The answer is no.

They have dominated a fantastic schedule with teams that were deemed Super Bowl favorites during the preseason. In doing so, they lead the league in both point differential (+63) and pressures per Pro Football Focus (114).

What they haven't done is look great in basic stats. They are the third-worst defense in terms of passing yards allowed but it's the context as to why that matters.

Vikings pass defense on a historic pace

This season, the Vikings sees their opponent pass a staggering clip. NFL analyst Lindsay Rhodes is of the same belief that the volume of passing plays the Vikings see isn't important because they are so efficient in doing so.

The Vikings have faced a staggering 250 pass plays across five weeks, which is an average of 50 per game! Their pass rate against is a whopping 72.9%, which would be the highest since 2018 by a full six percent. That's a historic pace.

Going into week six, the Vikings have been phenomenal against the pass when you look at the advanced metrics

• 4th in EPA/pass against (-.28)
• 6th in passing yds/play allowed (5.3)
• 2nd in sacks (20)

The Vikings' pass defense continues to be elite in more ways than one.

Related: The Vikings offense need to fix these things after the bye if they want to make a Super Bowl run