The Minnesota Vikings are 5-0, thanks largely to their defense. Although the offense has slowly improved over the past couple of weeks, it still has a way to go to match the defense.
Before the season kicked off, Seth Walder predicted that Kyler Murray would finish in the top 12 in QBR, ESPN's metric for measuring quarterback performance. After five games, he replaced that bold prediction with another, more attainable one for Blake Cashman.
Linebacker Blake Cashman will record at least nine sacks. This would be a heck of a number for an off-ball linebacker, but Cashman rushes the passer a ton in Brian Flores' scheme (32% of dropbacks) and already has 2.5 sacks.
Even if you're bullish on Murray continuing to progress as he gets more comfortable
in the offense, it's hard to fault Walder's skepticism. The unit has had some ugly moments, and even as Murray has made strides over the past few weeks, there have still been times when he has passed up opportunities to rip the ball when receivers have gotten open.
Meanwhile, Minnesota's defense is ranked No. 1 in EPA/play and DVOA through five games. Cashman has been arguably its best player, tied for 25th in the NFL with 18 pressures despite rushing the passer on only 61 snaps, per Next Gen Stats. His 29.5 pressure rate ranks first among all defenders with at least 30 pass-rush snaps.
We know Brian Flores likes to blitz. If he keeps this up (67% of all dropbacks), Cashman will have a shot at reaching Walder's prediction.
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: ESPN has a new bold prediction centered around Vikings LB
