Inside The Vikings

Harrison Smith joined Hall of Fame company with latest milestone

Smith is just the seventh defensive back ever with 30 interceptions and 20 sacks.

Will Ragatz

Oct 6, 2024; London, United Kingdom; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) shakes hands with Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith (22) after the game atTottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Oct 6, 2024; London, United Kingdom; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) shakes hands with Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith (22) after the game atTottenham Hotspur Stadium. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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Vikings safety Harrison Smith joined some elite, Hall of Fame company on Sunday when he took down longtime foe Aaron Rodgers for the 20th sack of his career. Smith is the seventh defensive back in NFL history — and just the 12th total player at any position — with at least 30 interceptions and 20 sacks.

Of the six other DBs who have reached that mark, five are in the Pro Football HOF: Charles Woodson, Ronde Barber, Brian Dawkins, Leroy Butler, and Larry Wilson. Rodney Harrison, who was a finalist for induction this year and could still potentially get in at some point, is the only member of that group who isn't in the Hall.

Smith's sack of longtime foe Aaron Rodgers in the second quarter of the Vikings' win over the Jets in London was his first since he had three sacks against the Panthers in Week 4 of last season. He did it with Barber, one of the other 30/20 defensive backs, in attendance at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

In his 13th season, all with the Vikings, the 35-year-old Smith continues to add to a resume that will give him a chance to wind up alongside the all-time great defensive backs in Canton, OH. He's a six-time Pro Bowler who was a first team All-Pro just once in 2017, but the longevity of his production is highly impressive. If this is his final season — and maybe it won't be — Smith has 12 more regular season games to add to his career totals. A deep playoff run with this year's team, which sits at 5-0 heading into the bye week, couldn't hurt his case either.

It was fitting that Smith got his 20th career sack against Rodgers, and that the Vikings' other Hall of Fame-caliber defensive back, Stephon Gilmore, was the one who sealed the game with the 32nd interception of his career. The two 2012 first-round picks are still getting it done at a high level.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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