Vikings' Jonathan Greenard felt disrespected by Texans blocking him with a TE

Greenard took it to his former team with a three-sack performance on Sunday.

Sep 22, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard (58) sacks Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) in the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. / Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

On the very first play of Sunday's matchup against his former team, Vikings outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard found himself lined up across from Texans rookie TE Cade Stover. Minnesota's top pass rusher was already fired up to go against the team that let him walk in free agency this spring, but that took it to another level.

"First play of the game, they tried to block me with a rook," Greenard told the Houston Chronicle. "They tried to block me with a rookie tight end. It’s disrespectful. I ain’t never seen that."

Greenard blew past Stover, who had to grab him and was flagged for holding — the first of 11 penalties by the Texans. And it wasn't the last time Houston tried to block him with a tight end. The first of Greenard's three sacks on the day came when he ran through Stover's chest to get C.J. Stroud to the ground.

"I'm glad I'm here in Minnesota, man, because they respect me," Greenard said of the Texans using a TE against him. "Anybody else wants to do that, they can try. It don't matter who you line up in front of me, but if you line somebody up like that, (a sack's) gotta happen."

Greenard finished with three sacks and five total pressures in a huge game against his old squad. As a whole, the Vikings' defense sacked Stroud five times and picked him off twice, holding the Texans to a single touchdown in an emphatic 34-7 victory.

Highlights from Jonathan Greenard's big game (3 sacks, 5 pressures) against his former team.

Not sure why they kept trying to block him with a TE. pic.twitter.com/AkfN2RYqNz

— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) September 23, 2024

This offseason, the Vikings and Texans essentially swapped star edge rushers in free agency. Danielle Hunter, who made four Pro Bowls in Minnesota, signed a two-year, $49 million deal with his hometown Texans. Greenard, who was coming off a 12.5-sack season in a contract year, inked a four-year, $76 million deal with the Vikings.

Coming into this game, Greenard led the Vikings with 12 pressures (per PFF), though he had only one sack. That changed in a big way against Houston.

"JG has been huge for us all year with pressure production," Kevin O'Connell said postgame. "But I know all of us are glad to see him ring the bell three times right there with three sacks."

The Vikings' head coach wasn't surprised by Greenard's production, considering what he had put on tape through the first two weeks.

"The get-off, the explosiveness of his ability to get off the ball," O'Connell said on Monday. "And then speed, power, athleticism as a rusher, really fits with how we want to play. ... The sacks were gonna come when you have the pressure rate that he's had. Not surprised, but love what JG's doing."

Greenard said it was a bit weird going against his former teammates, but that when he stepped between the white lines, it was "straight smoke." He noted that a couple of his teammates had told him during the week that they saw a big game coming from him. Greenard, who has fit in perfectly with this Vikings defense, was mostly happy to get another win.

"I love this team," he said. "I love how we're playing, how we're just feeding off each other, feeding off the energy with Flo. It's a sense of us starting to believe it. The main thing we have to believe and understand is that we can play with anybody. If we execute our game plan the same way that coach talks about it and we execute it in practice all week, we can get these type of results no matter who we play."