The Minnesota Vikings are 5-0 and sit atop the NFC North division heading into Week 7. Nonetheless, the Vikings do have teams on their tail, as both the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers are 4-2.
Moreover, the Packers are building positive momentum to get themselves back in the race for the division as they have won three straight games after starting the season 1-2, including a Week 1 loss to Minnesota.
With the Packers on an upswing, former Vikings linebacker Ben Leber stated that Green Bay is a team that Minnesota should be worried about as the battle for the NFC North is looking to be a tight one.
“Yes, I think [the Vikings] should be worried,” Leber said during an Oct. 19 appearance on KFAN. “They’re getting things figured out on defense, and that’s obviously been a big question mark this whole season. Now it seems like they’re starting to figure it out, and every day they go through the season, Micah Parsons is going to get healthier and healthier.
“So, they add him back to an already pretty good front four that’s kind of figured it out. Their safety play is outstanding. I mean, they might have the three best safeties in the league. So, they do a really good job.”
Ben Leber Gives One Area of Concern for Packers
Despite this three-game win streak and noting that Minnesota should be worried about Green Bay, Leber noted one concern that he has with the Packers.
“The only thing is they just choose not to run the football. It’s not like they’re super competent at running the football. But they’re scoring points by basically telling the defense, ‘Yeah, we’re going to run just a few times. We don’t really have to run because we got Jordan Love and we got these receivers.’ It would have been a blowout [against the Cowboys in Week 6] had Matthew Golden caught a touchdown pass.
“Christian Watson had a ball go right out of his hands. It was slightly tipped by a linebacker, but a professional receiver makes that catch nine times out of 10. So, the score was not indicative of how well they played. If they keep putting that together and they get Josh Jacobs back, and then they do start finding a run game and some balance, yeah, they’re going to be a tough one.”
Vikings Urged to Make Brian Flores Decision
Even with the Bears and Packers coming behind them, what could give the Vikings the edge over both these teams is defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
The Vikings coach is showing that he’s arguably the best defensive coordinator in the league, and former NFL player Damien Woody is urging the Vikings to double the coach’s salary to ensure he remains in Minnesota.
“I just want to know, whatever Brian Flores is making, it just needs to be double,” Woody said in an Oct. 14 video from “The OG Football Show.” “Just double whatever his contract is, because he is literally a mastermind. How in the world, when you watch the Minnesota Vikings week in and week out, are they 5-0?
“It’s all credit to the defense because of the way they’re able to attack teams from all different angles, whether it’s perimeter blitzes, guys mugging up in the A-gaps, and really attacking.”
Vikings Handed Worrying Packers Message Despite 5-0 Start