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No team in the NFL this season allowed fewer points or yards than the Minnesota Vikings Youth Josh Sitton Jersey , putting them in better position than any of their competitors to prove that old ”defense wins championships” adage to be true.

For the first time since the famed Purple People Eaters defensive line played in, and lost, four Super Bowls throughout the 1970s, the Vikings have a legitimate title contender with a dominant defense as the backbone.

”These last few weeks we’ve played really, really well. Defensively, we have a lot of good players. They understand this system and what their responsibility is, and they play very, very hard,” coach Mike Zimmer said. ”They’ve got this little edge on them right now that they don’t want to give an inch.”

Zimmer’s assessment came after the 23-10 victory over Chicago in the final regular-season game, in which the only Bears touchdown came on a trick punt return. Chicago ran 11 plays from the 10-yard line or closer in the fourth quarter and failed to cross the goal line.

The week before that, the Vikings defeated injury-depleted Green Bay 16-0 for their first shutout of the Packers in 46 years. In the game prior to that, they beat Cincinnati 34-7 with the only touchdown by the Bengals coming midway through the fourth quarter against Vikings backups on a 23-yard drive set up by an interception.

Tally that all up, and Minnesota’s starting defense has essentially surrendered a total of three points over the last three games. Even against three non-playoff teams, the average of 200 yards per contest yielded and the cumulative 6-for-40 third-down conversion allowance was quite a stamp to put on the 2017 performance.

”The thing about our defense is we’re very unselfish. At the end of the day, we understand that if we do what we need to do, do our jobs, do what the defense is called, nobody can stop us,” defensive end Brian Robison said. ”We just have to keep that mentality going forward.”

Robison is the longest-tenured player on the team, the only one remaining from 2009 when Brett Favre’s age-40 renaissance carried the Vikings to the NFC championship game. The defense was stout in that game at New Orleans, an overtime loss to the Saints Youth Fred Warner Jersey , but that was Favre’s team. The 1998 and 2000 teams that also reached the NFC title game were about Randy Moss and Cris Carter and those record-setting passing attacks. Even the upstart 1987 squad that survived the strike and sneaked into the playoffs scored 80 points over the first two postseason games to reach the NFC championship.

The Vikings would not have finished 13-3 and earned a first-round bye without a productive offense. Case Keenum came out of backup-quarterback obscurity to finish seventh in the NFL with a 98.3 passer rating. Adam Thielen was named a second team All-Pro wide receiver. The Vikings finished seventh in the league in rushing. The identity and strength of this team, though, is unmistakably on the other side of the ball.

The Vikings were second in the league in both rushing and passing yards allowed, so there’s not one way to attack them that’s better than another. Defensive end Everson Griffen, linebacker Anthony Barr and cornerback Xavier Rhodes were all Pro Bowl picks. Safety Harrison Smith was widely considered one of the biggest snubs, having been given the highest performance grade for any player at any position in the NFL this season by the analytics website Pro Football Focus.

”I just think it’s the lack of egos. Everybody wants everybody else to succeed. Nobody cares to be the man,” Barr said. ”We all play together.”

Zimmer’s scheme is built up front around gap control to stop the run and a synchronized pass rush to pressure the quarterback, rather than giving Griffen or defensive end Danielle Hunter a free-range assignment to chase sacks. Barr and linebacker Eric Kendricks have the side-to-side quickness to be able to limit passing yardage to the running backs from and sprint through the ”A” gaps on either side of the center on a blitz. Rhodes and cornerback Trae Waynes are sound tacklers, usually effective in physical press coverage. Rhodes spent so much time locking up opposing star receivers that he didn’t see many passes come his way. Then there’s Smith, who can roam in zone coverage for an interception or a big hit, line up in the slot against a tight end or execute a blitz off the edge.

Disguise is a big part of the success, too, with Zimmer’s ability to call a game that keeps the other team uncomfortable about where the rush will come from or how the coverage will be mixed up.

”They’re fun to watch,” said Thielen, who has a field-level view when he’s on the sideline. ”The way they fly around. The way that they get to the ball when it seems the team has an easy first down and, boom, they’re right there closing the gap and stopping them short.”

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The Oakland Athletics leaned on pitching, defense and Jed Lorie’s clutch hitting to overcome their lack of a long ball.

Lowrie hit an RBI double in the fourth inning and Chris Bassitt pitched six innings to help Oakland beat the Detroit Tigers 3-0 on Wednesday night.

The A’s did not clear the fences, ending their major league-record streak at 27 road games.

”We put home run swings on them,” manager Bob Melvin said. ”We just didn’t get rewarded for them.”

Detroit’s JaCoby Jones leaped to catch a ball Matt Olson sent over the wall in left in the second inning and Leonys Martin made a pair of catches deep in center field with his back to the plate.

”Anywhere else those are home runs,” Melvin said.

Lowrie did his part at the plate again with a game-winning RBI for the third straight game. He drove in a tiebreaking run in the top of the ninth inning the previous two wins against the Tigers.

”In games when they were close and you need a big at-bat Youth Tarvarius Moore Jersey , he’s been giving it to us all year,” Melvin said. ”After a little bit of struggle to be able to do it the way he has on this trip has been borderline spectacular.”

Bassitt (1-3) gave up two hits and five walks while striking out five. He had lost nine straight since his last win in the majors in 2015.

The right-hander expected to have control problems after being in multiple states in recent days.

”I’m just racking up the frequent flier miles,” Bassitt said.

Yusmeiro Petit entered in the seventh for his first of two innings and Jose Iglesias, the first to face the reliever, hit an infield single his stolen base was over turned by video review. Lou Trivino pitched the ninth for his second save in three chances, sealing the shutout.

Mike Fiers (5-5) allowed a run on five hits and one walk over seven innings as Detroit lost its eighth straight game.

”This happens with young guys,” Tigers bench coach Steve Liddle said. ”The team starts to struggle and they start trying to do too much. A lot of our guys are new to the majors either this year or last year.”

Joe Jimenez kept Detroit within a run in the eighth before the A’s gave themselves a bigger cushion against Alex Wilson. Josh Phegley and Dustin Fowler hit RBI doubles in the ninth off Wilson, putting Oakland ahead 3-0.

OUT OF HERE

Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire was ejected after the third inning for arguing with home plate umpire Lance Barksdale.

”Ron saw a couple things he didn’t like and he had to protect our player,” bench coach Steve Liddle said. ”And, that’s why you’re talking to me.”

ALSO OUT

The Tigers fired pitching coach Chris Bosio, saying he made insensitive comments to another employee of the team.

”I have to take seriously what the comments were,” Tigers general manager Al Avila said, declining to give details. ”And, the action we took was appropriate.”

The Tigers promoted bullpen coach Rick Anderson to replace Bosio. Roving pitching instructor A.J. Sager will be the team’s bullpen coach until Triple-A Toledo pitching coach Jeff Pico takes his place next week.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Athletics: RHP Trevor Cahill, on the 10-day disabled list with a strained right Achilles tendon is scheduled for another bullpen Friday.

ROSTER MOVE

The A’s put RHP Daniel Mengden on the 10-day DL, retroactive to June 25, with a sprained right foot and recalled Bassitt from Triple-A Nashville. Mengden (6-6) has started 16 games, tying LHP Sean Manaea for the team lead.

UP NEXT

Manaea (7-6) will be pitching to help his team sweep the four-game series while Detroit counters with RHP Michael Fulmer (3-6).

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