The Minnesota defense made its share of mistakes, but overall the group held Deshaun Watson in check enough to get the victory.
The Vikings did so by starting two rookie corners out wide: Jeff Gladney and Cameron Dantzler.
With Mike Hughes ruled out for the second straight week, the team was left with few alternatives. Holton Hill, who still played, could have been an option, but he’s been burned quite often this season.
Dantzler started Week 1 but then missed the following two games with a rib injury. He ended up being ready to go this week.
Vikings coach Mike Zimmer talked about what it was like to have two rookie corners in the starting lineup Sunday:
“You know they did pretty well,” Zimmer told reporters, via the Vikings. “They competed. You know obviously there are some plays that they would like back. Even for Gladney, he’s playing the nickel and he’s playing outside, so that’s kind of double duty for a young guy. But I think they both played well.”
It was good for the Vikings to have Dantzler back. The team needs him to have a big year if it has any hope of turning things around.