Jared Goff's Los Angeles Rams versus Case Keenum's Minnesota Vikings might be the game of the week in the middle of November. Who saw that coming at the onset of this season?

Sunday's Week 11 matchup (1 p.m. ET, Fox) between the 7-2 Vikings and the 7-2 Rams at U.S. Bank Stadium is a fascinating one. Although offenses usually absorb most of the attention, one must not overlook these teams' defenses. The Rams rank first in DVOA, or Defense-adjusted Value Over Average (explanation here). The Vikings, however, are allowing the third-fewest yards per play.

ESPN Rams reporter Alden Gonzalez and Vikings reporter Courtney Cronin take a closer look at each unit.

Aaron Donald's Rams are riding a four-game win streak entering their Week 11 game at Minnesota. Jae C. Hong/AP Photo

Who is your team's most feared defensive player?

Cronin: There's a candidate for this recognition in just about every position group. To simplify matters, let's take a look at the most impressive aspect of the Vikings' defense, which is how dominant Minnesota is against the run.

Offensive linemen know they're in for a long day of work against the Vikings, particularly nose tackle Linval Joseph, who is nearly unblockable on the interior. While he regularly manhandles the guards and centers aiming to slow him down, eating up double-teams doesn't tell half the story of how he affects the game.

2017 Defensive Comparison A look at the Rams' and Vikings' defensive numbers through nine games: LAR MIN PPG 18.0 18.3 YPG 322.1 294.6 Yds per play 5.1 4.7 Yds per rush 4.5 3.4 Yds per att 6.1 5.9 Source: ESPN Stats & Info

Joseph's refined athleticism gives him the ability to switch to different assignments with ease. One moment he'll be in the process of ripping through a block; in a flash, he'll be in the backfield mauling a running back for a negative gain.

Minnesota has not allowed a 100-yard rusher this season and is holding teams to 3.4 yards per rush. Joseph, the NFL's leader in run stops, is the anchor of a defense that holds teams to fewer than 2.4 yards after contact.

He's an absolute nightmare to prepare for, and it's the things that don't show up on the stat sheet (such as his ball disruptions, or interrupting a quarterback's throwing process) that make him elite.

"He can impact everything moving forward," Matt Bowen, an NFL analyst for ESPN.com, said. "Teams realize they have to chip on him at the point of attack or double him. Otherwise he's going to make a play, and it'll result in a negative gain. As an offense, it changes your run game if you have to game plan for the nose guard."

The dirty work Joseph does up front is the catalyst that ignites the rest of the defense. While he requires two players inside, it frees up Everson Griffen to do his work off the edge and Anthony Barr and the other linebackers to fire downhill and play freer.

Gonzalez: Aaron Donald, and it isn't really close. Donald is -- to borrow a phrase used by basically every opposing head coach who is getting ready to face him -- "a game-wrecker." He finds a way to get into the backfield on almost every snap, terrorizing quarterbacks and single-handedly shutting down running games.

Donald missed the first game of this season while holding out in hopes of a lucrative contract extension, and he is still tied for the NFL lead in quarterback hurries with 52, according to Pro Football Focus. The man he is tied with, Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Melvin Ingram, has had 55 more pass-rush snaps.

No other interior defender has had more than 43 quarterback pressures this season, for one simple reason: Interior defenders aren't supposed to get to the quarterback this frequently. That's an edge rusher's job. But Donald finds a way, even while facing constant double-teams. His explosion off the snap, quick hands, raw strength and low center of gravity make him a nightmare.

Donald's longtime teammate, Michael Brockers, once called him "a 6-[foot]-1, 280-, 290-pound bowling ball with the strength of two men."

It took Donald a bit to get up to speed, but he's playing his best football right now. The three-time Pro Bowler has registered a sack in each of his past four games, three of which led directly to fumbles.

In Sunday's 33-7 win over the Houston Texans, Pro Football Focus had Donald generating at least eight quarterback pressures for the fourth time in eight games. Some context on that: Three of the teams that played Sunday generated less than eight quarterback pressures. The New York Giants and the Buffalo Bills combined for seven.

"If he can get in one-on-one, he's going to make plays," Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said. "He's going to pressure the quarterback. He's going to make plays in the backfield. He's a great player, and that's what we have to do as coaches is make sure that they can't double him all the time."

Mike Zimmer, who was a D-coordinator for three NFL teams prior to taking over the Vikings, is considered a defensive mastermind. Tommy Gilligan/USA TODAY Sports

What makes your team's defensive scheme so difficult for opposing offenses?

Cronin: The easy answer? Mike "The Innovator" Zimmer.

The Vikings coach grew into one of the game's best defensive minds as a coordinator in Dallas and Cincinnati. With Zimmer's defense, everything is run through a 4-3 base scheme with the 4-2-5 nickel package used often against the pass.

His defenses don't blitz all that often. This season, the Vikings have their lowest blitz rate (23 percent) since Zimmer arrived in 2014, which ranks 22nd in the NFL according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Zimmer is a master of creating mismatches based on his personnel, particularly with how he moves his linebackers. He rarely shows his hand on pre-snap looks because of how well he gets his defenders to disguise their intentions.

This is the very premise of the double-A-gap blitz formation, a signature of Zimmer's scheme.

Zimmer lines Barr and Eric Kendricks, his inside linebackers, on either side of the center in the A-gap. On a given play, the two will act like they're about to blitz but drop back into coverage. The free safety and nickel corner also line up on the line of scrimmage, so it looks like a heavy blitz with eight stacked in the box before the two defensive backs run to cover the flat.

2017 Blitz Comparison A look at the Rams' and Vikings' blitz numbers through nine games: LAR MIN Blitz pct 39% 23% Comp pct 58% 53% Yds per att 6.6 5.5 TD-Int 4-4 3-1 Total QBR 56 22 Source: ESPN Stats & Info

This formation makes it difficult for offenses to anticipate what's coming next. With the use of all these stunts and bluffs, the scheme not only pressures quarterbacks but also it confuses the heck out of them and the offensive linemen trying to figure out whom to block when they get faked out on an inside blitz. The next time a QB sees this package, the linebackers might actually rush the gaps and not peel off into coverage.

It's such a successful tool that a lot of teams have adopted it as part of their scheme. Zimmer has taken the concept to the next level.

"They've got about 25 different things that they can do," ESPN Monday Night Football analyst Jon Gruden said. "I love watching these guys because they raise all kinds of hell."

Gonzalez: Robert Quinn, who transitioned from defensive end to outside linebacker this season, put it this way: "Simple but complicated, or complicated but simple."

Phillips' scheme has proven to be simple for his players to grasp but complicated for opposing offenses to figure out. The concepts are basic, the players' responsibilities succinct. Phillips does a masterful job of disguising coverages and pressures, but he makes it simple enough on his players so that all they have to do is react.

Phillips runs a 3-4 scheme that basically functions as a 4-3, a one-gap penetrating front that, when right, consistently pressures quarterbacks with the front seven and makes it easy for the secondary to make plays on the ball.

"There's so many different looks we can give that can cause the offense trouble," Quinn said. "But he makes it easy for us to play defense for him."

There was concern surrounding the Rams' defense after it allowed 39 points to the hapless San Francisco 49ers in Week 3. By halftime of Week 4 against the Dallas Cowboys, the Rams had given up 90 points in a stretch of 10 quarters. But since the start of the second half in that game, the Rams have allowed only 63 points in a span of 22 quarters.

Over the past six weeks, the Rams' defense has given up the NFL's fewest points per game (11.4) while forcing the NFL's most turnovers per game (2.4).

Rams coach Sean McVay said players have "continued to just get a little bit more comfortable with some of the nuances of what Coach Wade's looking for."

McVay added: "What makes him such a good coach, too, is that as you get more familiar with your personnel, then you're able to adjust within the framework of your system. You guys have heard him say this before: You don't ever make your players fit your system. You adjust to them. That's what good coaches do. That's what Wade's done."

Xavier Rhodes has earned his nickname (Rhodes Closed) for shutting down some of the NFL’s top pass-catchers. Mark Konezny/USA TODAY Sports

Give us the most surprising attribute that sticks out about your team's starting cornerbacks:

Cronin: For Xavier Rhodes, it's how little he's been targeted over the course of the first 10 weeks. That's a well-deserved sign of respect.

For Trae Waynes, it's the opposite. Waynes was among the most-targeted corners to start the season, which was expected considering whom the Vikings have covering the other side of the field.

Rhodes, who typically shadows his opponent's No. 1 receiver, earned his nickname, Rhodes Closed, for shutting down some of the NFL's top pass-catchers. He held Michael Thomas to two catches for 22 yards, Antonio Brown to three receptions for 28 yards and Mike Evans to five for 53.

2017 Pass-Rush Comparison A look at the Rams' and Vikings' pass-rush numbers through nine games: LAR MIN Sacks 28 25 Sack pct 8.3% 7.0% Pressure pct 32.3% 26.9% Blitz pct 39.2% 26.9% Source: ESPN Stats & Info

Opposing quarterbacks had a passer rating of 108.9 throwing in Waynes' direction during the first four games, per Pro Football Focus. After a slow start to the season, Waynes is showing significant improvement. Against the Redskins, the third-year corner allowed a 36-yard touchdown to Maurice Harris, but that was the product of a miraculous, one-handed catch by the Washington receiver -- not poor coverage. After that play, Waynes was targeted only three more times and allowed one reception for 7 yards.

Could it be that teams are starting to respect Waynes more? It appears so.

The best part about this duo is the skill set that each brings to balance the other out. Minnesota has arguably the best cover corner in the league in Rhodes, while Waynes is among the best run-stopping cornerbacks.

Waynes is a strong open-field tackler, ranking fifth in total tackles (43) and leading the team with eight pass deflections. He also has two interceptions this season.

Gonzalez: The amount of turnovers they have produced. The Rams have already compiled 12 interceptions, one shy of the NFL lead and two more than they had in seven more games last season. Three have come courtesy of inside linebacker Mark Barron, but the nine others have come from their defensive backs.

Lamarcus Joyner, who doubles as a safety and a corner, has two. So does Nickell Robey-Coleman, who mainly plays in subpackages. And so does Trumaine Johnson, who's playing under his second consecutive franchise tag. Johnson had what looked like an easy touchdown when he jumped in front of a Tom Savage screen pass on Sunday, but he dropped the interception.

Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson has two interceptions through nine games. Robert Hanashiro/USA TODAY Sports

"I'm still mad about it, man," Johnson said after the game. "I can't leave money on the field."

Johnson, who had only one interception in 2016, should get plenty more chances. He and Kayvon Webster, who hardly played on star-studded Denver Broncos secondaries the past four years, have been ball hawks all season. That's usually what happens when teams generate pressure the way the Rams do up front.

The Rams have scored an NFL-best 84 points off turnovers thanks to their attacking style.

"Some defenses have a philosophy of bend but don't break, and that's not us," cornerbacks coach Aubrey Pleasant said. Pleasant, in his first year with the Rams, constantly tells his players that they are the "bus drivers" for this defense -- the ones who make everything go.

"Out of every position, we [the secondary] have the shortest room for error," Pleasant said. "If you have the shortest room for error, are you going to let someone else drive the bus, or are you going to drive it?"

The Rams corners are driving it.