The Minnesota Vikings coach staff saw a reshuffling just days before an emphatic 22-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football.
Defensive line coach Chris Rumph asked for and was granted a personal leave of absence, ESPN’s Kevin Siefert reported on Saturday, October 22.
Rumph is the Vikings’ second defensive position coach to go on leave this season. Outside linebackers/pass rush specialist Mike Smith took a leave from the team just six days before the start of the regular season.
Assistant defensive line coach Patrick Hill is assumed to take the lead on filling Rumph’s role for the time being, with the help of assistant head coach Mike Pettine. With 10 years of coaching experience under his belt, Hill was hired in the offseason after serving as a defensive analyst for LSU in 2022.
“I love Chris Rumph,” O’Connell said Saturday, per Seifert. “He is one of the first coaches I hired here, and … he means the world to me.”
Pettine and defensive assistant Imarjaye Albury have collaborated to fill Smith’s role.
The Vikings defense is coming off an impressive showing in prime time, holding the 49ers to a season-low 17 points and forcing three turnovers.
Brian Flores’ Defense Finding Its Form
GettyVikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores
Inheriting one of the league’s most porous defenses from 2022, Brian Flores was asked to do more with less.
The Vikings parted ways with five starters, including key contributors such as pass rusher Za’Darius Smith, defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson, cornerback Patrick Peterson and inside linebacker Eric Kendricks.
The goal of the offseason was to get younger on defense, developing that talent in hopes of elevating the unit despite a clear downgrade in personnel.
That mission appears to have progressed seven weeks into the season with Flores’ defense finding its form as of late.
The Vikings have allowed an average of 291.3 yards of offense in the past four games. Turnovers have swung in Minnesota’s favor with six turnovers forced by the defense in the past two games.
That’s resulted in back-to-back wins for the first time this season, including a 19-13 defensive struggle against the Chicago Bears that required a fumble return touchdown from Jordan Hicks to seal the game.
Those types of plays have the marks of a winning team, which Minnesota, at 3-4, is still proving it can be after a slow start to the season.
Monday’s win over San Francisco was a glimpse at what a complete game can look like from this team, where the defense was just as responsible for the results as the offense.
Danielle Hunter Leads the NFL in Sacks Through 7 Weeks
GettyDanielle Hunter during the Vikings’ 2022 regular-season finale at Solider Field in Chicago.
Danielle Hunter is proving his worth by playing out the 2023 season in a contract year, leading the NFL with 9.0 sacks through seven weeks this season.
He moved into seventh on the team’s list of career leaders, surpassing Everson Griffen with a sack in the third quarter, the 80th sack of his career.
Hunter can overtake the No. 6 spot on the Vikings career sack leaderboard from Jared Allen (85.5 sacks with Vikings) with six more sacks this season.
Hunter has been subject of trade speculation approaching the NFL trade deadline on October 31. His value is sky-high, but that is also giving Minnesota plenty of reason to reach an agreement on an extension with him.
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Vikings Coach Takes Leave of Absence: Report