Minnesota Vikings

StaTuesday: Vikings channeling Purple People Eaters

Published Nov. 15, 2016 2:34 p.m. ET

Ryan Lund

It may be a little early to christen the 2016 Minnesota Vikings' defense with a nickname of their own, but that hasn't stopped their fans from trying.

Unofficially dubbed "Purple Reign" in response to their 5-0 start, Zimmer's previously promising defense has officially broken through, and ranks among the league's elite in most major statistical categories.

And while they're just six weeks into the season, maybe it's time to make "Purple Reign" official.

The Vikings defense is playing at a level not seen in Minnesota since the days of defensive juggernauts Alan Page, Gary Larsen, Carl Eller and Jim Marshall, who came together in the late '60s to form the "Purple People Eaters."

The current incarnation of the Vikings has now held the opposition to fewer than 18 points in each of its last nine games, dating back to a 23-20 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 14 last season.

The Vikings would go on to beat the Chicago Bears, New York Giants and Green Bay Packers a combined 107-47, before holding the Seattle Seahawks to just 10 points in the playoffs.

They've kept right on rolling in 2016, allowing no more than 16 points in wins over the Tennessee Titans, Packers, Carolina Panthers, New York Giants and Houston Texans, holding all five under their average point total.

2015-16 STREAK

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Score
12/20/15	Chicago Bears	Home	W	38-17
12/27/15	New York Giants	Home	W	49-17
1/3/16	Green Bay Packers	Away	W	20-13
1/10/16	Seattle Seahawks	Home	L	10-9
9/11/16	Tennessee Titans	Away	W	25-16
9/18/16	Green Bay Packers	Home	W	17-14
9/25/16	Carolina Panthers	Away	W	22-10
10/3/16	New York Giants	Home	W	24-10
10/9/16	Houston Texans	Home	W	31-13

It's the longest such streak for the Vikings since Page and Co.'s run from Dec. 1, 1974-Oct. 5, 1975. After allowing 21 points to the New York Jets in a 29-21 win on Oct. 12, 1975, Minnesota gave up 20 or more points just once in its next 19 games.

That defense led the Vikings to the Super Bowl under head coach Bud Grant, where they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers and their "Steel Curtain" defense in one of the lowest-scoring matchups in Super Bowl history.

1974-75 STREAK

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Score
12/1/74	New Orleans Saints	Home	W	29-9
12/7/74	Atlanta Falcons	Home	W	23-10
12/14/74	Kansas City Chiefs	Away	W	35-15
12/21/74	St. Louis Cardinals	Home	W	30-14
12/29/74	Los Angleles Rams	Home	W	14-10
1/12/75	Pittsburgh Steelers	Neutral	L	16-6
9/21/75	San Francisco 49ers	Home	W	27-17
9/28/75	Cleveland Browns	Away	W	42-10
10/5/75	Chicago Bears	Home	W	28-3

But even those teams fell short of the standard set by the 1969 team, the first incarnation of the People Eaters to include Larsen.

1969 STREAK

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Score
9/28/69	Baltimore Colts	Home	W	52-14
10/5/69	Green Bay Packers	Home	W	19-7
10/12/69	Chicago Bears	Away	W	31-0
10/19/69	St. Louis Cardinals	Away	W	27-10
10/26/69	Detroit Lions	Home	W	24-10
11/2/69	Chicago Bears	Home	W	31-14
11/9/69	Cleveland Browns	Home	W	51-3
11/16/69	Green Bay Packers	Away	W	9-7
11/23/69	Pittsburgh Steelers	Home	W	52-14
11/27/69	Detroit Lions	Away	W	27-0
12/7/69	Los Angeles Rams	Away	W	20-13
12/14/69	San Francisco 49ers	Home	W	10-7

Grant's third season at the helm was a masterwork of defensive dominance, as the Vikings went 12-2 and held opponents to fewer than 18 points in 13 straight games, the longest such streak since 1960, a record they share with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

10 longest streaks allowing fewer than 18 points

Team	Games	W	L	From	To
Minnesota Vikings	13	12	1	9/28/69	12/21/69
Pittsburgh Steelers	13	11	2	10/20/74	9/21/75
Los Angeles Rams	12	10	2	11/6/77	9/24/78
San Francisco 49ers	12	7	5	12/3/90	9/29/91
Dallas Cowboys	11	10	1	12/4/71	10/15/72
New England Patriots	11	11	0	11/25/01	9/15/02
San Francisco 49ers	11	11	0	10/28/84	1/20/85
Denver Broncos	10	5	5	11/30/75	10/17/76
Tennessee Titans	10	9	1	12/16/07	10/19/08
Pittsburgh Steelers	10	10	0	10/17/76	12/19/76

That 1969 team, like the 1975 edition, also went to the Super Bowl. We're not saying that will happen again this year, but let's just say there is precedent.