The autumn wind is growing stronger as October football hits its stride.

Minnesota, 4-0, seems to be getting stronger in all three phases, as well.

ESPN's Bill Barnwell set the stage Thursday for Week 5 games and beyond by sharing his current picks for NFL honors — that's MVP, Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year as well as Coach of the Year, and the top rookies. Barnwell plans to circle back after Week 9 for his midseason choices.

Barnwell recognized someone who's been a force for the Purple the first four Sundays and is solidifying himself as a star in his third campaign: outside linebacker Dallas Turner.

Turner is one of Barnwell's Top 3 early nominees for the Defensive Player of the Year Award.

Barnwell wrote that Turner "has essentially become the defensive equivalent of evaluating a running back such as Arian Foster in a Shanahan-style offense 15 years ago." In other words, he is a near flawless fit for Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores' system — and his impact is undeniable.

Barnwell pointed out that Turner leads all defenders in pressures (29) and quick pressures (13). His 5.5 sacks rank second, and "he has been the most productive player on the league's best defense."

Turner has played his role so far magnificently, and it shouldn't be a knock on him that he's winning in various ways — sometimes in true 1-on-1s against offensive tackles, and other times versus tight ends, and seven times as an unblocked rusher, as Barnwell noted, due to the confusion that comes from facing Flo's scheme. While Turner has not been chipped or double-teamed much through four games (on only 9.6% of his reps; significantly lower than players such as T.J. Watt, 29.7%, and Aidan Hutchinson, 28.2%) according to Next Gen Stats, he's excelling in everything he's being asked to do.

In summary, that's beating the person in front of him and getting home to the quarterback.

Barnwell put two other pass-rushers above Turner, who by the way doesn't turn 24 until Feb. 2: Buffalo's Greg Rousseau, who is No. 1 in sacks (six), tackles for loss (eight) and forced fumbles (three); and Houston's Will Anderson, Jr., who "might be the best player in football right now, full stop," Barnwell said. In addition to his dominance pressuring QBs, Anderson is an elite run stopper.

Click here to check out Barnwell's complete list of quarter-season NFL awards.

Vikings defense tapping into experience

Everyone knows how the popular idiom goes: "Age is just a number."

Well, in the NFL age often reflects experience, and on Flo's defense experience is a harbinger of success. The average age of the Vikings defenders who are Top 12 in playing time is 28.5 years old.

That's the league's second-oldest defense, if you will, behind the Pittsburgh Steelers (29). So, in the case of Minnesota's top-ranked scoring unit that includes a youth movement on the defensive line and a back seven that's been around for a bit, it appears age is more than a number — it's an asset.

Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune on Thursday highlighted how Minnesota's mixture of players on defense, which includes newcomers such as OLB Kyle Van Noy and CB James Pierre who had prior experiences under Flores before he was hired in 2023, catalyzed its tremendous start to the season.

Primarily, their backgrounds meshed with the roster and allowed Flores to pick up in April at a page deeper in the playbook. He skipped the basic coverages and entry-level stuff — because he could.

Here's an excerpt from Krammer's article:

This year the team installed new designs and tweaked old ones. Flores wanted to harness his group's savviness so his players can adjust the defensive call based on what they anticipate the offense is going to do.

Did an unblocked Vikings blitzer hit a quarterback? They may have correctly identified the offense's pass protection call and adjusted to attack a weak point.

"We have a group that's, I'd say, accelerated from a football IQ standpoint," Flores said. "I know they understand those things, so how can we accelerate the process? How can we get them thinking about the game? Thinking about adjustments? Thinking about offensive personnel? Thinking about offensive formations? Recognizing the different offensive variables and things we can do?"

Krammer also zeroed in on Van Noy's impact so far, which has been nothing short of incredible after joining the team's practice squad in September. His football IQ and history with Flo' have been key.

Like Harrison Smith, Van Noy is one of only 12 NFL defenders age 35 or older who've seen the field this season. He certainly isn't playing like he's too old, though. He leads the group with six TFLs on just 81 snaps.

Andrew Van Ginkel called Van Noy "one of the smartest players I've ever played with."

Here's Krammer's full feature.

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