Revenge And Validation Took Center Stage In Win Over Texans
Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Vikings offseason saw several changes to the roster as the team made the risky but wise decisions to not bring back their most expensive players in Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter. Instead, they took those savings and invested in a roster that got off to a 2-0 start. But Sunday brought definitive proof that they made the right moves. Not just because they crushed the Houston Texans 34-7, but that it was a battle between the expensive former Viking Hunter and the cheaper former Texans Jonathan Greenard and Blake Cashman.
The two sides’ offseason defensive acquisitions exemplified their offense. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah saved $69.5 million annually by jettisoning Cousins and Hunter, shopping for bargains in Greenard ($19M salary), Cashman ($7.5 million), Sam Darnold ($10M), and Aaron Jones ($3.5M). Meanwhile, the Texans went shopping this offseason, dropping nearly a combined $50 million to bring in former Vikings Hunter ($24.5M salary) in free agency, then Stefon Diggs ($24M) via trade. The Texans’ big, sexy, splashy moves won the offseason.
Minnesota won their head-to-head matchup. $24.5 million bought Houston two tackles, a tackle for loss, and two QB hits from Hunter on Sunday. For about $2 million more, Minnesota got 3.0 sacks, eight combined tackles, three tackles for loss, and three QB hits as the two former Texans exacted vengeance on their former team.
Let’s also not forget the team also added former Houston linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill, who set the tone for the day with an interception on the first official play from scrimmage of the game. He three tackles while playing in place of the injured Ivan Pace, Jr. Yet another Texan alumnus, Shaquill Griffin, played well with three tackles and one pass defended on Sunday.
As great as Darnold, Jones, and Justin Jefferson played against Houston Sunday, this game was about former Texans players who put their fingerprints all over this convincing win and, in doing so, validated Kwesi’s vision for the team in ways even a win against the San Francisco 49ers could not.
On a day with so many of his former Texans teammates balling out, Greenard was the star of the game. He was the No. 1 reason C.J. Stroud struggled to find any rhythm all day. Stroud looked uncomfortable for the full 60 minutes as Flores dialed up his usual exotic looks and made the second-year quarterback phenom look rather pedestrian.
Not only did Houston spurn Greenard this offseason, they piled on the disrespect early in the game by deciding to assign a tight end to block. What?! Needless to say, Greenard drew a holding penalty out of that.
Jonathan Greenard (career-high 3 sacks) drew a hold by a tight end on the first snap, which sent a signal to Greenard + the Vikings
“First play of the game, you’re going to put a tight end on him? One of our best edge rushers?” Brian O'Neill said. "That was pretty telling to us" pic.twitter.com/igC0AxjUUd
— Andrew Krammer (@Andrew_Krammer) September 22, 2024
The Texans did not learn from that mistake, and Greenard made them pay with his first sack of the game. If you’re counting, that’s 20 yards Greenard set Houston back, and he was far from finished.
Jonathan Greenard MOSTEROUS sack🔥🔥🔥#HOUvsMIN | #Skolpic.twitter.com/f6jTz0kX0u
— Vikes (@vikes_app) September 22, 2024
Later in the game, defensive coordinator Brian Flores schemed up a loaded box to show a blitz. Instead, edge Andrew Van Ginkel dropped into coverage while safety Harrison Smith took on a block the Texans’ right tackle Tytus Howard. The slight-of-hand left Greenard with a one-on-one matchup with right guard Shaq Mason, and Greenard flew by Mason for his second sack of the day.
It's a two-sack game for Jonathan Greenard against his old team. Ran right past RG Shaq Mason on this one. pic.twitter.com/GutQw7KYlA
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) September 22, 2024
Greenard finished last season with 12.5 sacks and already has four sacks in three games this season. His strength, quickness, and speed are key traits the Vikings are looking for in their defenders, giving Flores plenty of ways to confuse offenses on pre-snap formations and create mismatches before the play even starts.
Those are qualities all of these former Texans share. Take Blake Cashman for another example. He was Week 2’s star of the game with 13 tackles, three passes defended, and a sack. While Cashman wasn’t over the stat sheet in quite the same way on Sunday (after all, there’s only one ball-carrier to tackle), he still made an impact with plays that don’t necessarily show up on tape. You don’t have to be flashy to influence your team toward winning football games.
On Cam Bynum interception’s, we can see that Cashman’s positioning created the opportunity for his teammate to make the pick. Watch Cashman (No. 51) on the play. He’s in coverage on this play, and he’s being asked to get depth with his zone read. He starts at the 38-yard line and by the time Stroud is ready to throw, Cashman is perfectly blocking the passing lane to Nico Collins. To avoid the linebacker, Stroud throws behind his receiver, leaving a ball ripe for Bynum to snag.
Camryn Bynum picks off CJ Stroud! All 3 starting safeties now have an interception through 3 weeks! #SKOL #Vikings #NFL pic.twitter.com/kFMnFxHu51
— 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝕏 (@MessiahVikings) September 22, 2024
Cashman’s football IQ and mobility were the keys to this play, as he nearly traveled 15 yards upfield to cause the misthrow. Many inside linebackers generally do not get that kind of depth in their coverage read and the best quarterbacks — like Stroud — will thread the needle or make that pass over the top for big plays when the defender is out of position.
Make no mistake, even though the interception happened in the fourth quarter of a 34-7 game, that was still a key play. Had Houston scored a touchdown on that play, they would have brought the score within 10 points and kept some hope alive. Instead, Stroud’s former teammates stamped it out. It is plays like this, in these key situations, where the Vikings have stepped up, and are getting. That doesn’t happen unless the Vikings were too bogged down with star power to get Greenard, Cashman, Van Ginkel, and so many more players. The former Texans got their revenge, the front office got their validation, and the fans got another reason to buy in on this 2024 team. Everyone wins. Except Houston.
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