Conventional wisdom and the pigskin “pundits” say that if you stop the run, you’ll be successful.
The Vikings never got the memo.
Minnesota did the unthinkable Sunday: holding an opponent to negative rushing yards for the second time in less than a month. Detroit carried 10 times for -3 yards – a virtual carbon copy of Miami’s 14-carry, -3-yard output in Week 11.
The Vikings have held their last six opponents to a combined 179 rushing yards on 107 carries. That's an amazing per-attempt average of 1.67 yards.
But they’ve lost four of those six games.
For the season, Minnesota allows 54.1 yards per game on the ground and 2.71 yards per attempt, both numbers easily the best in the NFL.
The Vikings are on pace to hold opponents to 865 yards for the season, which would break the 1999 Ravens' post-merger record of 970 yards. The 2.71 yards-per-carry mark would rank third in modern NFL history behind the 2000 Ravens (2.69) and 1998 Chargers (2.70).
You have to go all the way back to the 1951 Giants, who allowed 2.3 YPA, to find a better run defense than those three.
And where has this historical ability to stop the run taken the new Purple People Eaters? To 6-7, and a well-deserved No. 22 spot in our rankings.
Like we said, so much for the “pundits” and conventional wisdom.
THE DOMINANT DOZEN:
1. SAN DIEGO (previous rank: same)
Last week: LT set a new touchdown record (29 this season) as San Diego stomped the hated Broncos 48-20. With one more TD, Tomlinson will break Paul Hornung’s 46-year-old single-season scoring record of 176 points.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: After two TD catches on Sunday, Antonio Gates now has eight or more touchdowns in three straight seasons.
Next: vs. Kansas City (Sunday night).
2. CHICAGO (previous rank: same)
Last week: Despite a daylong smear campaign on ESPN, Rex Grossman rebounded with a 2-TD, no-INT performance in a Monday night win over St. Louis.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: Newsflash! Devin Hester is fast. He returned two kicks for TDs Sunday and now has six returns for scores this year, breaking Ken Houston's old record of five.
Next: vs. Tampa Bay. Chicago's “Tour of the Dead” then concludes with games against the Packers (5-8) and Lions (2-11).
3. BALTIMORE (previous rank: 5)
Last week: The Ravens became the first visiting team since 1995 to win a December road game in Kansas City.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: The Ravens are one of three teams in the NFL not to allow a touchdown on returns (kick, punt, INT) this season, along with Carolina and Oakland.
Next: vs. Cleveland.
4. JACKSONVILLE (previous rank: 11)
Last week: The Jaguars improved to 6-1 at home, running for more than a fifth of a mile in their demolition of the Colts.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: Taylor and Jones-Drew have combined for 2,297 yards from scrimmage – 17 more than San Diego’s Tomlinson and Turner. Jacksonville has outscored quality opponents 27.0-11.8. Only the Bears (24.5-10.8) come close.
Next: at Tennessee.
5. INDIANAPOLIS (previous rank: 3)
Last week: The Indy defense got very familiar with the backs of Jacksonville jerseys in a 44-17 loss.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: Run-stopping safety Bob Sanders, who's missed nine games, is not the answer. The Colts allow 165.2 YPG on the ground in the four games he's played.
Next: vs. Cincinnati (Monday night). The Bengals may leave Carson Palmer in Ohio and give his roster spot to Ickey Woods.
6. NEW ORLEANS (previous rank: 7)
Last week: Saints coach Sean Payton used The Force with aplomb, beating Obi-Wan Parcells and the Cowboys in Dallas.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: The chink in the armor? The Saints’ “break-don’t-bend” unit. Opponents have just 10 field goals, easily the fewest in the league, but 34 touchdowns (tied for fourth-most).
Next: vs. Washington. The Redskins are No. 32 in defensive passer rating; the Saints are No. 1 in offensive passer rating.
7. NEW ENGLAND (previous rank: 4)
Last week: With New England being blanked in Miami, Tom Brady watched the end of the game from the bench.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: Despite missing three-quarters of their starting secondary, the Patriots have allowed a league-low nine touchdown passes so far this year.
Next: vs. Houston.
8. DALLAS (previous rank: 6)
Last week: Tony Romo lost his “best QB ever!” status to Drew Brees in an ugly home loss to the Saints.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: Terrell Owens had no catches at intermission Sunday night, but this was no huge surprise; Owens has all nine of his TD grabs in the second half this season.
Next: at Atlanta. The Cowboys are 14-8 all-time vs. the Falcons.
9. CINCINNATI (previous rank: same)
Last week: Cincy's defense held its opponent to less than 18 points for the fourth straight week.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: The Bengals average 4.0 yards per carry on artificial turf, 3.0 per carry on grass.
Next: at Indianapolis.
10. SEATTLE (previous rank: 8)
Last week: The defense continued its shaky play in an embarrassing 27-21 loss to Arizona. Seattle has allowed nearly 25 PPG since starting 2-0.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: The Seahawks were second in the NFL last season with 369.2 YPG; this year, they are 21st with 309.2 YPG.
Next: vs. San Francisco (Thursday night).
11. PHILADELPHIA (previous rank: 14)
Last week: Jeff Garcia (8 TDs, 0 INTs this season) led the Eagles to a 21-19 win at Washington.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: DB Lito Sheppard shares NFL lead with 18 pass deflections and tops the league with 156 yards on 5 interception returns.
Next: at N.Y. Giants. Philly’s NFC East gauntlet continues.
12. KANSAS CITY (previous rank: 10)
Last week: The Chiefs took another step back toward mediocrity, losing to the Ravens 20-10.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: Larry Johnson has run for 70 first downs this season, most in the NFL.
Next: at San Diego.
THE TEPID TWENTY:
13. N.Y. GIANTS (7-6, previous rank: 15) – A first for Eli Manning this season: back-to-back games without an INT.
14. ATLANTA (7-6, previous rank: 17) – Morten Andersen is 5-for-7 on 40-plus-yard field goals despite wearing bulky Depends under his uniform.
15. DENVER (7-6, previous rank: 12) – Don’t blame Cutler: The rookie QB has a respectable passer rating of 83.0 in the last two Broncos losses.
16. PITTSBURGH (6-7, previous rank: 18) – WR Holmes is quietly fourth among rookies, with 585 receiving yards.
17. MIAMI (6-7, previous rank: 21) – DE Taylor has 87.5 sacks since 2000, most in the NFL.
18. N.Y. JETS (7-6, previous rank: 13) – RB Washington averages 4.5 YPC; the other three Jets halfbacks collectively average 3.03 YPC.
19. BUFFALO (6-7, previous rank: same) – WR Evans is already over 1,000 receiving yards (1,016); nobody else on the Bills has 300.
20. TENNESSEE (6-7, previous rank: same) – Haunted by fumbling woes throughout his career, RB Henry has turned it over just once in 2006.
21. CAROLINA (6-7, previous rank: 16) – WR Smith is averaging just 61.3 yards in the last four games, and the Panthers have gone 1-3.
22. MINNESOTA (6-7, previous rank: 24) – The Vikings have outgained opponents by 1,017 yards, but they’ve been outscored 251-241.
23. ST. LOUIS (5-8, previous rank: 22) – WR Bruce is on pace for his eighth 1,000-yard season.
24. GREEN BAY (5-8, previous rank: 28) – Bubba-fingers: TE Franks has 20 catches, seven drops.
25. SAN FRANCISCO (5-8, previous rank: same) – At his current pace, RB Gore’s average of 5.6 YPC would be the best among 1,500-yard rushers since Barry Sanders had 6.1 in 1997.
26. WASHINGTON (4-9, previous rank: same) – Chris Cooley leads all NFL tight ends in yards after the catch (293).
27. ARIZONA (4-9, previous rank: 29) – Dennis Green had a stellar 92-52 coaching record heading into the 2001 season; he’s 20-40 since.
28. CLEVELAND (4-9, previous rank: 23) – The Browns have had a top-20 scoring offense just once since the franchise’s 1999 revival; they are 30th in 2006.
29. HOUSTON (4-9, previous rank: 27) – The official mascot is “Toro,” a smiling blue-headed bull that unofficially annoys 74.5 percent of Texans fans.
30. TAMPA BAY (3-10, previous rank: same) – The outmatched Bucs are good in at least one area: defending kickoffs (19.2 yards per return, best in the NFL).
31. OAKLAND (2-11, previous rank: same) – New Randy Ratio: Moss has 10 catches for 106 yards in Oakland’s last five games.
32. DETROIT (2-11, previous rank: same) – If you’re scoring at home, the Lions are now 23-70 (.247) during the Matt Millen Era.
