The Minnesota Vikings are driving into their bye week with a 5-1 report that has ensured they may stay the No. 2 seed within the NFC after they return to the sector. After such a tumultuous 2021 season the place seemingly nothing went proper, some could also be asking, “how did they get this good?”. A few of the reply definitely has to do with good luck, however there are some statistics that recommend the Vikings are literally fairly good. Listed below are six optimistic Vikings stats by way of the primary six weeks of the NFL season.

Turnover Differential

The Vikings have turned the ball over extra typically this 12 months than that they had at this level within the 2021 season, however that has been counteracted by the truth that the Vikings are considered one of 9 groups to power their opponents in 10+ turnovers.

Due to that, the Vikings have a turnover differential of +4, tied for second-best within the NFL. Minnesota compelled three essential turnovers towards the Dolphins, which definitely helped them win their fourth consecutive sport.

Minnesota has compelled turnovers in each sport thus far this season, and if they’ll proceed to make excessive impression performs on the defensive facet of the ball, the Vikings ought to maintain successful video games.

Scoring Protection

Everybody has introduced up how the Vikings proceed to surrender large yardage totals to their opponents. The Dolphins gained 458 whole yards this previous weekend, and the Vikings have allowed 400+ yards in three of their six video games this 12 months.

That mentioned, the 2022 Vikings have been the epitome of a “bend-don’t-break” protection. Regardless of permitting the fourth-most whole yards and third-most passing yards, Minnesota continues to permit fewer than 20 factors per sport this season.

The Vikings offense has not been an elite unit by any means, however any offense with Dalvin Prepare dinner, Kirk Cousins, Justin Jefferson, and Adam Thielen ought to rating 20 factors with relative ease. The protection hasn’t been fairly at occasions, nevertheless it’s getting the job performed by way of retaining factors off the scoreboard.

Sacks

One of many important ways in which the Vikings protection has continued to maintain factors off the board is by attending to opposing QBs. Minnesota recorded six sacks towards Dolphins QBs this weekend. Minnesota was second within the NFL in sacks final 12 months, and as soon as once more they proceed to be a top-10 group in that division.

The Vikings have 17 sacks on the 12 months, however that’s not the one sack-related stat that issues for this workforce. On the opposite facet, they’ve performed a strong job of retaining Kirk Cousins upright. The Vikings QB has been sacked simply 11 occasions this 12 months, and his stress fee of 24.4% is the bottom of his tenure in Minnesota, per Pro-Football-Reference.

Area Place

Particular groups is a big consider the place a workforce begins every possession in addition to the place their opponents begin possessions. To this point into 2022, there isn’t any workforce higher than the Vikings at successful the sector place battle.

For their very own drives, the Vikings begin, on common, from their own 32.0-yard-line. That’s first within the NFL, nearly a complete yard forward of the second-best New England Patriots, who begin from their very own 31.1.

On the opposite facet of the ball, the Vikings particular groups have performed an important job of pinning their opponents deep inside their very own territory. As soon as once more, the Vikings lead the league by forcing their opponents to start out on common from their very own 24.4-yard-line.

A serious cause behind this discrepancy comes from their rookie punter, Ryan Wright. Wright pinned the Dolphins inside their very own 20-yard-line six occasions on Sunday, and on one other event, he pinned them precisely on the Miami 20.

Fourth Quarter Scoring

Whenever you’re enjoying as many shut video games because the Minnesota Vikings have over the previous two years (19 of Minnesota’s previous 23 video games have been determined by 8 or fewer factors), it’s vital to attain down the stretch to make sure you find yourself on prime.

Minnesota has performed a terrific job of that thus far in 2022, rating fifth within the NFL by averaging 8.5 factors within the fourth quarter. Over their previous three video games, all video games which have ended as wins for the Vikings, Minnesota has upped that to 11.3 points. The one workforce scoring extra factors than the Vikings over that stretch is the New York Jets.

Three-Recreation Lead

On the finish of the day, not one of the above stats would matter all that a lot if the Vikings had been 1-5 somewhat than 5-1. Nevertheless, crucial stat heading into the Vikings bye week is the truth that they’re 3-0 of their division and successfully have created a three-game lead within the NFC North over the Inexperienced Bay Packers.

For Minnesota to earn themselves a house playoff sport, they doubtless have to win this division. They’ve put themselves in an important place to do exactly that one-third of the best way by way of the season.

Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The School of Idaho with a bachelor’s diploma in Inventive Writing in addition to minors in Historical past, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing in regards to the NFL, Josh enjoys marathon coaching, enjoying video video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For extra of his takes, NFL and in any other case, take a look at his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.