Jonathan Greenard was exhausted, struggling to catch his breath and drinking water on the sideline late in the game, after chasing Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray around relentlessly. He had been battling an illness all week, but now the game was on the line.
The Cardinals faced a critical fourth down in the final seconds on Sunday, trailing by one point, and Greenard needed a quick rest.
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell allowed defensive coordinator Brian Flores to see the formation Arizona was sending out before calling a timeout.
The Vikings really wanted Greenard, who had been ill all week, back in the game.
“‘You ready to go? You ready to go? You ready to go?’” O’Connell asked, smiling later while reflecting on how rare it was to call a timeout just to rest a defensive player. “No doubt, he was going back on the field and going to have a really impactful snap.”
Greenard returned to the field and helped apply enough pressure on Murray to force him into a rushed throw, which was intercepted by Shaquill Griffin to secure a 23-22 victory, extending Minnesota’s winning streak to five games.
“He’s playing some high-level football. I don’t know where we’re at with postseason accolades, but he should be in the conversation for a number of those,” Flores said. “I feel like I say this every week: We’re lucky to have him.”
Greenard is tied for fourth in the NFL with 32 pressures, according to Sportradar tracking. He’s also tied for fourth with 10 sacks.
“He’s always popping off the tape, no matter what week it is,” teammate Harrison Smith said. “Especially in crunch time.”
These statistics only show part of Greenard’s impact on the Vikings, who made him their top priority in free agency this year once it became clear that Danielle Hunter was out of their price range.
Greenard has become one of the league’s most effective edge rushers after four injury-plagued seasons with Houston. He’s also been crucial to Minnesota’s success in defending the run, contributing to the NFL-leading average of just 81.3 rushing yards allowed per game.
“The underrated part is just the all-down aspect of the physicality, setting edges, playing blocks and making some plays at or behind the line of scrimmage that set up his chances to then rush the passer,” O’Connell said.
“He’s played a ton. We’re trying to be aware of just how much he’s played and see if we can give him some spurts here and there where we can kind of keep his play count where we want it, but at the same time he’s one of our best players. As I like to call him, he’s the closer.”
This nickname was particularly fitting against the Cardinals.
On one play, Greenard was pushed wide on his rush by left tackle Paris Johnson Jr., but he managed to reach out with his left hand to just graze the ball, knocking it loose. Murray fell on it to keep possession, but the sack put the Cardinals in a difficult third-and-13 situation.
On the next play, Greenard moved inside to maintain a clear view of Murray, one of the NFL’s most elusive quarterbacks. Pressure from Patrick Jones caused Murray to scramble, but Greenard was in perfect position to limit the run.
As Murray hesitated, trying to juke Greenard and cornerback Byron Murphy for more yardage, Greenard closed in and tackled him inbounds, forcing the Cardinals to burn a timeout. It was a 3-yard gain. Afterward, Greenard connected the play back to his offseason training.
“If your tongue ain’t on the ground after your workouts, I feel like you’re not doing enough, especially the guys on the quarterbacks,” Greenard said.
With the crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium roaring, Greenard bent over and requested to be subbed out.
“I just wanted to show that I’m running my tail off to that football. It just so happened that he cut back and I was like, ‘Oh, perfect,’” Greenard said. “That was tough.”
