The Minnesota Vikings have started the 2024 season off with a bang at 3-0 and it's mostly due to the new additions on the defensive side of the football. A rebuilt edge rusher group led by Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel and a back seven with inside linebacker Blake Cashman and cornerback Stephon Gilmore have been important players to the defense being so dominant.

The pass rush is the best part of the defense right now. They lead the NFL in sacks and three players in Greenard (4.0), Pat Jones II (4.0) and Van Ginkel (3.0) are all in the top 10 in the NFL in sacks. They are dominant right now but one player stands out above the rest.

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Jonathan Greenard named NFC Defensive Player of the Week

This award was relatively easy to name. Greenard registered a career-high 3.0 sacks while also generating 4 tackles and 3.0 tackles for loss. It was a career day for Greenard who was very motivated to play his former team.

"Him, Pat Jones, pretty much, like, 'it's gonna be a game for you.' And I don't want to make it more than what it was, because it's obviously my former team. But at the same time, I didn't want to get too high in that game."

Well, Greenard played like he took the Texans not wanting to re-sign him personally and was a dominant force for arguably the best defense in the National Football League.

Jonathan Greenard named Way to Play Award winner

NFC Defensive Player of the Year wasn't the only award he won. Greenard was also named the NFL's Way to Play Award winner for week 3. The awards are presented by Gatorade and are given to players who "lead by example and impact the game by demonstrating proper playing technique."

The announcement was made on Good Morning Football where Minnesota native Jamie Erdahl and former NFL player Michael Robinson and the latter broke down how Greenard made the right plays.

"I thought Jonathan did a great job on this play right here. Gives it a little wiggle right before this last rush. Full extension on the tight end. Look at this play right here, right full extension. Look at that way-to-play technique right there as he drives the tight end into the ground. And this is what you love about it. He did not hit the quarterback in the head or neck area. And watch how we just lay C.J. Stroud down right here. He didn't fall on him. Lays him down. Plays over you got the sack. That is a perfect technique on the way to play."

The technique that Greenard used was really important. The NFL has done a lot of work to protect quarterbacks and defenders falling on them has been a point of emphasis. This was perfect technique as Robinson said in the linked clip. He got the sack and laid him down nicely, getting the sack and not playing dirty football.

The Vikings got a great one in Greenard and he's proving them right each week.