The Minnesota Vikings turned in one of the best defensive performances of any team in Week 17 against the Detroit Lions. The unit, coached by Brian Flores, has been reasonably good all year long, but it reached another level on Christmas Day against its division rival.
One of the players who led that impressive defensive charge was veteran safety Harrison Smith. In what could be one of the final games he plays in his Hall of Fame career, he turned in an all-time performance on a grand stage with a national audience.
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For his efforts, Smith was named a winner by Bleacher Report from the early slate of games from Week 17 in the NFL season.
They write, “Given he’s about to turn 37, this is more likely than not the end of the line for Smith. If it is, he has had a career that will get him squarely in the conversation for a bust in Canton. Smith had just three tackles on Christmas, but all three were behind the line of scrimmage, including a sack. He also logged the 39th interception of his career, leaving him one pick shy of becoming the third player in NFL history to log 40 career interceptions and 20 sacks.”
Smith, we mentioned, may be playing in the final games of his career. If this truly is the second-to-last performance he turns in for Vikings fans, he left them with something they will never forget. But also, he is reminding the rest of the NFL why they have to be happy he is leaving the league sooner rather than later.
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: A fan favorite was a big winner for the Vikings in Week 17