EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — The Vikings defense was once again among the league's best units in 2016.
Minnesota came out of the gate allowing just 12.6 points per game as the Vikings began the season on a five-game winning streak.
While the Vikings didn't put up those eye-popping numbers for the remainder of the season, Minnesota did finish sixth in the NFL by allowing 19.2 points per game.
The Vikings had five defensive players selected to the Pro Bowl: defensive end Everson Griffen, defensive tackle Linval Joseph, linebacker Anthony Barr, cornerback Xavier Rhodes and safety Harrison Smith.
Two other players had big second years. Defensive end Danielle Hunter led the Vikings with 12.5 sacks, and linebacker Eric Kendricks led the team with 126 total tackles (according to the coaches' tally).
Strong individual play added up to a collective team effort for the Vikings under Head Coach Mike Zimmer, one of the NFL's top defensive minds who will undoubtedly say there are still areas to clean up in 2017.
Here are three stats where the Vikings defense improved in 2016, with two areas they could work on for next season:
3 Stats that Improved
Takeaways
Zimmer hammered home the point all offseason that the Vikings needed to create more turnovers. The message was received, as Minnesota forced 26 turnovers on defense with 14 interceptions and 12 fumble recoveries. That stat was an improvement from 2015 when the Vikings had 21 takeaways in the form of 13 interceptions and eight fumble recoveries. Rhodes led the way with five interceptions, and Griffen had a team-high three fumble recoveries.
Defensive Touchdowns
An increase in takeaways produced an uptick in touchdowns, as the Vikings were one of three teams to have four defensive touchdowns in 2016. Kendricks and Rhodes each returned an interception for a score, and Hunter and Griffen found the end zone on fumble recoveries. In fact, the Vikings first (Hunter) and final (Griffen) touchdowns of the 2016 season came on defense. The Vikings had three defensive scores in 2015.
Yards Allowed Per Game
The Vikings were one of 14 teams to allow less yards in 2016 than they did in 2015. Minnesota ranked third this season by allowing 314.9 yards per game, an improvement from the 344.2 yards per game it gave up the previous season. Even more impressive, the difference of 29.3 yards per game was the sixth-best improvement in the NFL. The Giants had the best improvement, going from 420.3 yards allowed per game in 2015 to 339.0 yards allowed per game in 2016.
2 Stats to Target
Third-Down Percentage
The Vikings allowed teams to convert 38.83 percent of their third-down tries this season, a decrease from the 34.47 percent conversion rate the season before. Minnesota had a handful of strong games, as they combined to limit three playoff teams — the Giants, Texans and Cowboys — to just four first downs on 34 third-down tries. The Vikings also struggled at times to get off the field, as they had four games where opponents converted at least half of their third-down tries.
Red Zone Percentage
Minnesota's defense gave up touchdowns on 54.55 percent of opponents red zone possessions in 2016. The Vikings allowed opponents to find the end zone 44.19 percent of the time the season before. The downtick in red zone productivity caused the Vikings to fall from fourth in the league to tied for 15th in the stat this season.
