Vikings: Everson Griffen stays hot

Everson Griffen’s performance over the first six weeks of the season was pretty shaky. Going into week seven, his overall grade stood at -5.0 and his pass rushing grade at -3.2.  At that point he ranked 43^rd out of 55 4-3 defensive ends. Something clicked between Weeks 6 and 7 and he has been on an absolute tear ever since.

Griffen’s +17.3 overall grade in the last five weeks leads all 4-3 DEs and has been impressive both as a pass rushing and against the run during this stretch. His Pass Rush Productivity rating of 14.0 ranks third and his 26 total pressures tie him for the lead. Griffen also leads all 4-3 DEs in run stops with 11 and his Run Stop Percentage of 12.5% ranks 3^rd.

Griffen’s recent performance has pushed him up to 8th overall on the season with a +12.3 mark. The contract extension the Vikings gave him had been questioned at times. If he can maintain even close to his recent level of play, he’ll be a steal for the Vikings.