The Vikings have finished #1 in Rush Defense for 3 straight years, an NFL record. After the first couple games of this season, the Vikings' rush defense got off to a rough start and were ranked in the lower half of the league. But they have fought their way back up near the top, and entering this week, sat at #3.

However, after the Browns ran wild on Pittsburgh, the former #1 rush defense, on Thursday, the current standings are now Bengals #1 and Vikings #2. Which means this week's matchup will decide which team takes over the #1 spot. The Bengals are giving up 81.8 rush yards a game, while the Vikings are giving up 84.2. This means that if the Vikings rush for 30 or more yards than the Bengals today, they will take over the #1 spot (unless they both give up a ton of yards, then the Steelers would move back into #1).

The #1 rush defense for a 4th straight year would be awesome and is well within our grasp. Today's game can help us to achieve that.