Everson Griffen got there in the end.
Held without a sack for three-plus quarters in Minnesota's 33-16 win over the Browns in London, the Vikings pass rusher ultimately took down quarterback DeShone Kizer with 2:56 left on the clock.
The play vaulted Griffen into an elite club, making him just the third player in league history to open a campaign with a sack in eight consecutive games, something only Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis have accomplished.
After the win, Griffen chalked his success up to "hard work," before going out of his way to shine the spotlight on his talented cast of fellow Vikings defenders.
"This is the best team I've ever been a part of, from top to bottom," Griffen said, per ESPN's Courtney Cronin.
"When they do chip me more, we have guys -- Danielle Hunter, Tom [Johnson], B-Rob [Brian Robison], Linval [Joseph] -- to make plays, too. No matter how many guys they put over there, it doesn't matter," Griffen said. "I'm worried about being in my right gap, helping this team win and executing my assignment to be able to get to where we want to go, and that's to the top."
And why not? This Vikings unit is operating as the third-best run defense in the NFL while holding five straight opposing quarterbacks under 170 yards passing. The offense, meanwhile, is doing its part and could soon welcome back signal-caller Teddy Bridgewater.
Griffen's finest season has come at the right time, and he's correct, at least for now, about this year's Vikings: They have the feel of a club ready to barge into January -- and possibly beyond.
