Players on the Vikings’ defense are heading into the season confident that they can dominate.
“We’ve got the best defense in the NFL,’’ Vikings defensive tackle Tom Johnson told Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press.
Other players echoed those sentiments. Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter said the players have it in their minds that they should be the best in the league.
“That’s what we’re going for,” Hunter said. “You got to want to be the No. 1 defense.”
Said safety Harrison Smith, “That’s the mindset we have to have.”
That’s where the Vikings were last year, as their defense dominated on the way to a 5-0 start. But the defense declined significantly later in the season, and the Vikings went from 5-0 to 8-8. The Vikings need their defense to back up its brash talk for 16 games this season.