Harrison Smith adds to HOF résumé with dominant three-sack game

Then, with the Panthers threatening after the two-minute warning, Smith brought down Young again on second and goal from the Vikings' nine. Two plays later, Smith did it for a third time to force a turnover on downs and seal the game.

On his first two sacks, Smith was untouched on his path to Young. On the third one, his speed was too much for Panthers left tackle Ikem Ekwonu. Smith burst upfield and bent around Ekwonu like an edge rusher. His final stat line for the day: 14 tackles, three sacks, two TFL, and a forced fumble.

"Just an unbelievable performance today," head coach Kevin O'Connell said. "Does not surprise me one bit. He's somebody who I lean on constantly. One of my all-time favorites. And when we had to have it, he was at his best today."

What stands out most about Smith's day is that it was only possible because of the way he's being used in Flores' defense. Last season, Smith played mostly as a deep half-field safety in Ed Donatell's scheme, which drew criticism for being too passive. The Vikings let Donatell go and brought in Flores this year to overhaul their entire defensive philosophy and become much more aggressive.

Now Smith is lining up all over the place, like he used to do under Mike Zimmer. That includes blitzing at probably the highest rate he ever has, which paid off against the Panthers.

"I could remember talking to Flo the first time I ever sat down with him last winter, and as we started talking about the possibilities, that safety group as a whole, it was an exciting conversation that all centered around No. 22," O'Connell said. "Getting him around the line of scrimmage, getting him involved in the rush, getting his hands on balls in coverage, making plays in space, tackling. He's been doing it for his whole career and it's just good to see him back in positions to make huge plays to impact football games."

That last line almost sounds like a not-so-subtle jab at Donatell, doesn't it? Smith certainly made some plays last season, but his best trait — his versatility — wasn't on display like it had been in the past. This season, Smith already has more snaps aligned on the defensive line in four games than he did in all of 2022.

"When you first sit down and you start talking scheme, you start talking philosophy, so many of the bullet points that (Flores) was mentioning reminded me of Harrison Smith," O'Connell said. "Toughness, attack mode, being able to handle a lot of versatility within your role to make it as hard as you possibly can on an offense. ... He makes it all go."

Smith had gotten off to a fairly quiet three-game start to this season, perhaps needing some time to adjust to the new system. He was anything but quiet in Charlotte. The leader of the Vikings' defense was all over the field, often disguising his blitzes until the last moment. Young had no chance.

"We're the best possible version of the Minnesota Vikings, defensively, when Harrison Smith is an impact player," O'Connell said. "We're going to continue to try to put him in positions to (be that)."

In one day, Smith's career sack total jumped from 16.5 to 19.5. Five of the six other safeties in NFL history with at least 19 sacks and 34 interceptions are enshrined in Canton. If you ask his teammates, Smith deserves to join them someday.