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Real key for Vikings: Consistently getting and stopping QB pressure

The Vikings in 2021 finished tied for fourth in the NFL with 51 sacks while allowing just 30 — numbers suggesting that more often than not they were winning the key battles at the line of scrimmage, at least in passing situations.

But lurking within those numbers was an overall feeling that those numbers weren't telling the real story. The offensive line was subpar and the defensive line, minus Danielle Hunter, wasn't able to get consistent pressure in key moments.

The numerical expression of that feeling shows up in a different, perhaps more telling set of statistics: ESPN, using NFL Next Gen stats, created metrics called "pass rush win rate" and "pass block win rate.