Vikings Opponents Have Not Scored in the Fourth Quarter

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Jul 28, 2022; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Za'Darius Smith. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports.

One of the biggest concerns among Vikings fan through the month of September has been how porous the defense continues to be. Over the past two weeks, Jalen Hurts and Jared Goff have seemingly gotten whatever they want through the air.

That said, as bad as the defense has looked through three quarters, the Minnesota Vikings have not allowed their opponents to score a single point in the fourth quarter.

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Here’s the breakdown of points allowed by quarter through the first three games:

  • First Quarter: 14 points
  • Second Quarter: 24 points
  • Third Quarter: 17 points
  • Fourth Quarter: 0 points

And here’s how many points the Vikings have scored headed into their Week 4 game in London:

  • First Quarter: 7 points
  • Second Quarter: 31 points
  • Third Quarter: 3 points
  • Fourth Quarter: 17 points

As the Vikings head into their Week 4 game against the Saints in London, the trend has been that their defense struggles in the first half before adjusting into the second half. Of course, there’s a few potential reasons behind this.

Firstly, the Eagles scored all 24 of their points in the first half of their Week 2 domination of Minnesota. Because of that, they may have come out of the second half with a more conservative approach. Then the Lions could have scored in the fourth quarter, but Austin Seifert pushed a 54-yard field goal attempt too far to the right.

Nevertheless, it’s clear that the Vikings defense has come out with much better energy in the second half of games. This second half energy could be very important against a New Orleans Saints team that has scored 38 of their 51 total points in the fourth quarter.

This could very well be a game where the Vikings get themselves back on track against a Saints offense that has struggled mightily.

If they can get off to a 3-1 start, it will be the first time that the Vikings have won at least three games in the first four weeks since 2016. That Vikings team started 5-0 before their Week 6 bye, but they finished the season 8-8.

Overall, despite the Vikings struggles in the first halves of games, Minnesota has allowed the 11th-fewest points in the NFL as of September 26th. They could move into the top-10 as well if one of the Cowboys or Giants score 20+ points on Monday Night Football. For a team that has defensive struggles, this is a pretty great spot to be in.



Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing as well as minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh can often be found training for a marathon, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his takes, NFL and otherwise, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken

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