Vikings’ unsung player of the week: Kamu Grugier-Hill’s third time with Brian Flores is a charm

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Vikings have played the last two games without linebacker Ivan Pace Jr., a key starter whose nonstop motor runs smack dab in the middle of mastermind Brian Flores’ top-five scoring defense.

It hasn’t mattered.

Oh sure, the defense wobbled late Sunday at Green Bay as a 28-0 laugher became a 31-29 stress test. But the Vikings are one of three undefeated NFL teams largely because of a defense that’s now second in the league with 10 takeaways.

With the 23-year-old Pace sidelined, and coach Kevin O’Connell’s inside linebacker depth tested with 30-year-old Kamu Grugier-Hill stepping in, the Vikings have posted six takeaways that have led to 28 points on four touchdowns.

Kamu Grugier-Hill, who had three interceptions in his first 122 NFL games, has had two in back-to-back games that have led to a pair of touchdowns that helped the Vikings to early leads of 7-0 against Houston and 21-0 at Lambeau Field.

“My confidence is always that I’m a starter in this league,” Grugier-Hill said after Sunday’s game. “But I accept my role. When you have a guy like IP, who’s younger and just a generational talent there, you know he’s going to be the guy.

“So my job is to kind of be the leader and be there for them. Kind of be maybe the brains behind the stuff and help them schematically or whatever I can do. And, of course, whenever my name is called, be ready to roll.”

He is indeed rolling. So well that the Vikings have no pressure to push Pace’s ankle injury by playing him against the Jets in London this Sunday, though O’Connell said they hope to have him back.

Because the Vikings opened in a nickel package the last two weeks, Grugier-Hill technically hasn’t started a game. His interception against Houston did come on the first official snap, which followed a snap negated by a holding call on the Texans.

Overall, Grugier-Hill has played only 47 defensive snaps in the past two games. He had 21 snaps against Houston (31%) and 26 snaps against the Packers (34%). He also forced a holding penalty on Green Bay, turning what would have been a 23-yard run to the Vikings’ 11-yard line into a 2-yard gain and a 10-yard penalty to the Vikings’ 42.

So let’s give him this week’s Unsung Vikings Player of the Week.

In a mere 47 snaps the past two weeks, he has helped the Vikings into a tie for fourth place in turnover margin (plus-3). A year ago, the Vikings were 1-3 with a league-worst minus-8 turnover margin and only three takeaways.

Grugier-Hill’s interception Sunday also was a thing of beauty, both in execution by Grugier-Hill and design by Flores.

The Packers were facing third-and-7 and Grugier-Hill was hugging the left A-gap, pretending to blitz. After the snap, he was able to drop 16 yards quickly enough to double and take the ball from receiver Christian Watson.

“We were running a Tampa 2 scheme,” Grugier-Hill said. “They ran a dagger concept with a receiver, and I just came off of it and went and made a play. It’s exciting to be out there making plays with the guys.”

Love threw three picks to ruin a 389-yard, four-touchdown game in his first game back from a knee injury. He tipped his helmet to the Grugier-Hill interception.

“The guy made a good play,” he said. “I didn’t see him.”

Who the heck is Kamu Grugier-Hill?

Well, the 6-2, 230-pounder was born in Honolulu and went to Eastern Illinois. He was a 2016 sixth-round pick of the Patriots but never played for them.

He moved on to the Eagles (2016-19) and played a grand game against the Patriots, beating them in Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on Feb. 4, 2018.

Flores, who was Bill Belichick’s linebackers coach when the Patriots drafted Grugier-Hill, reunited with Grugier-Hill in Miami in 2020 when Flores was head coach.

After that, it was on to Houston in 2021, Arizona in 2022 and Carolina last year. On March 20 of this year, Grugier-Hill and Flores were reunited again.

And so far, so good for Flores-Grugier-Hill III.

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