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The Minnesota Vikings are sharing some special news on one of their own before the team takes on the Packers.
Even though the Minnesota Vikings are out of the playoffs, it’s an exciting time for the franchise, and they’re riding high on a 23-10 win over the Detroit Lions, which showed off their dominant defense.
“The story of that game was six turnovers,” Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell said after losing to the Vikings. “Can’t turn the ball over six times and win in this league. You know, defense did some really good things, getting stop after stop. Offensively, I thought we played hard. We just did not, you turn the ball over that many times, it’s going to hurt. So that’s what got us.”
So, the Vikings, with their 8-8 record, will go up against the Green Bay Packers, who have a 9-6-1 record, on Sunday, January 4, to close out the season. Now, ahead of the game, the Vikings and NFL have announce some exciting news about one Minnesota player.
Minnesota Vikings and the NFL Honor Defensive Player
The Vikings’ defense stood out in the Lions game, and on Wednesday, December 20, the NFL and team announced that Harrison Smith is the NFC Defensive Player of the Week.
“Smith turned back the clock in Minnesota’s 23-10 Christmas Day victory over the Lions,” Bobby Kownack of the NFL said in a feature about the honor. “Despite the Vikings finishing the game with 3 net passing yards, they never trailed, thanks in large part to Smith and Co. putting the hurt on an uncharacteristically overmatched Detroit offense.”
He added that Smith had “three passes defensed, two tackles for loss, a quarterback hit, a sack and an interception — one of five Jared Goff turnovers forced by the Vikings. A month and change shy of his 37th birthday, Smith became the fourth-oldest player in NFL history with a sack and an INT in a game.” So, Kownack says that Smith’s “performance earned him NFC Defensive Player of the Week in potentially the penultimate outing of his career.”
Minnesota Vikings Coordinator Praises Harrison Smith
Defensive coordinator Brian Flores sang Smith’s praises after the win. “I thought he played fantastic,” Flores said on Tuesday, as reported by the team’s official website. “Now, there’s a couple plays that he and I both know that I wish he had back, and he wishes he had back, but that’s the game.”
Flores also talked about Smith’s emotional moment at the two-minute warning, saying, “This game brings that out of you, it does. Harrison Smith’s one of the best players I’ve ever been around. He’s one of the smartest players I’ve ever been around. I’ve been around a few — some really good ones. And he’s brought so much to this organization. He plays the game the right way.”
He added, “And to a purist of the game, someone who loves every facet of it, I just think he’s one of the best that I’ve been around.”
Finally, Flores said, “I’m happy for him. I’m excited for him. If I stood up here long enough, I’d probably get emotional, too. But I try not to let anyone see that. He’s one of the best players I’ve been around, the best people I’ve been around. I’m excited to kind of finish the season with him on Sunday.”
Anne Erickson is an award-winning reporter for Heavy Sports covering the NFL, NBA and college football. Anne Erickson has years of experience covering the NFL and additional sports, and her work has been published via ESPN, Fox Sports and more. She has interviewed some of the biggest names in sports, including Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff. Erickson also hosts several podcasts and is a Detroit-based radio host. More about Anne Erickson
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