After a 2020 season that ended without a playoff berth thanks to back-to-back losses where they gave up a combined 463 yards on the ground, the Vikings believed the return of injured players and a series of offseason investments would bring their run defense back to form in 2021.
Through four games (and three losses), that hasn't been the case. The Vikings are 25th in the league in rushing yards, after finishing 27th a year ago, and rank 28th in expected points added against the run despite the addition of Dalvin Tomlinson and the returns of two starters who didn't play a down for them last year (Danielle Hunter and Michael Pierce).
The Vikings allowed 184 rushing yards last week in a 14-7 loss to the Browns, though coach Mike Zimmer said on Sunday he wasn't worried about the run defense, pointing out that 33 yards for the league's top ground game came on a third-and-20 draw play.
This week brings a chance for the defense to re-establish itself against a winless Lions team that has the NFL's 20th-ranked running game, but the Vikings could have to do it without Pierce after an elbow injury last week.
Pierce has told teammates he will be out for the foreseeable future, according to a league source, and he spent Wednesday's practice rehabbing his injury.
"He's doing OK," co-defensive coordinator Andre Patterson said. "He's in the training room, rehabbing, and we'll see how the week goes with him. Armon [Watts] played very well in the game for us on Sunday. I feel very comfortable with him and giving James Lynch a chance to play if [Pierce] can't play, so I feel comfortable with my group and don't have any concerns about it."
Tomlinson played nose tackle for most of his career with the Giants before the Vikings signed him this spring; he has lined up next to Pierce this season, though Patterson said Tomlinson had between eight and 10 plays at nose tackle last week because of how the Browns lined up, forcing the Vikings to shift their defensive front.
"I can rotate any way that I want," Patterson said. "They all have to know how to play three-technique [tackle]. They all have to know how to play nose. I've got all kinds of options I can use, and I'm just going to roll with what I think is the best option."