MINNEAPOLIS — Malik Willis felt the pressure coming from Andrew Van Ginkel and tried to get a pass off, just in time for Dallas Turner to fly in from behind and make contact, knocking the ball off its trajectory.

Blake Cashman tracked the football and fell on it after one bounce.

While the officials initially ruled an incomplete pass by Willis, Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell successfully challenged the call and confirmed the turnover.

The collaborative takeaway was an apt visual for the Vikings defense-by-committee philosophy, on display again Sunday en route to Minnesota’s 15-10 defeat of Miami.

"It's a lot of fun," Cashman said. "You guys have heard it, and we continue to preach this as a team defense. Our goal is always to play with a lot of joy, and you don't know whose number it's going to be, whose game it's going to be … to get all the plays. But whether it's me or somebody else, I'm [excited]. It's just so fun to celebrate these guys, because we all want to see each other eat and have success."

Cashman finished his day with eight tackles and a QB hit in addition to the recovered fumble, the fifth of his career. Turner accounted for both of Minnesota's sacks of Willis; he totaled three tackles. Eric Wilson recorded four tackles, Jalen Redmond had three, and several players recorded a pair of tackles in the win — including Van Ginkel in his first time playing his former team.

The Vikings haven't allowed a team to score two touchdowns since Week 1. Minnesota's defensive players have taken seriously their job of keeping points off the board while the Vikings offense continues to develop.

Cashman acknowledged "a pretty good day" defensively and emphasized the importance of sticking to the unit's process and standard.

He expressed discontent with a few chunk gains by the Dolphins, including a third-quarter play in which RB Ollie Gordon II turned a third-and-5 situation into a 53-yard rush. Minnesota managed to hold Miami to a field goal on that drive; late in the same quarter, however, Willis connected twice with Malik Washington for 17 yards apiece, and Gordon got into the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown.

"They got us in a great call," Joshua Metellus commented on the 53-yarder. "I just think the chess match of, 'What are we in versus what are they in,' I think calling a run in that situation was a great call — and he's a good back.

"We knew it was going to be a 60-minute ball game, and we were able to get the job done," said Metellus, who played his 100^th game as a Viking Sunday.

Gordon totaled exactly 100 yards on nine carries. Washington had five catches for 67 yards; the only other Dolphin to have more than a single catch, was Gordon with two — but neither gained any yardage.

Willis was 9-of-17 passing for 85 yards and no touchdowns. His passer rating was 67.0.

The Dolphins logged just eight first downs in their first visit to U.S. Bank Stadium since 2018. They converted just 2-of-9 third downs and possessed the ball for only 20:49.

O'Connell tipped his cap to the defense, specifically identifying Turner as "an every-week impactor at a high, high level" and added Cashman and "a lot of the guys that we're talking about every single week."

Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores has fostered an unselfish group of players, and they continue to demonstrate that on a consistent basis.

They also remain focused only on the game in front of them.

Asked about the Vikings stringing together nine consecutive wins dating back to last December, Isaiah Rodgers declined to put too much stock into it.

"That's not the 1-and-0 mindset we have," he said. "We're not really looking at is so much as the nine straight [because that includes] last season. We don't want to look behind. It's a different team, a whole different roster, so it's just 1-and-0, like I said."

Pretty nice to be 4-0, though, right?

"Yeah, that's good," Rodgers grinned. "And two wins in the division. You're always grateful for a win. No matter how you get it, it's the NFL, anything can happen, so when you've got four straight like that and keep on going, you've just gotta find a way to keep stacking."

There's no letting off the gas. The Vikings will turn their attention to a road game in New Orleans next week before heading into the bye.

"We've just got to lean in," Metellus said. "If we stay as a team like we have been and we continue to grow our relationships in the build, I think we're unstoppable, man. I think this team with one mind is a hell of a team to beat. And I think we've got the right guys in here — right guys coaching, right guys in the staff, the right people in the building in general for us to do something special."

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