Vikings pass rusher Jonathan Greenard has 3 sacks against Texans, his former team

MINNEAPOLIS — Even in college, Jonathan Greenard was known to play better with a grudge. He won't say it straight out.

"Shouldn't have to tell anybody to get me to go," he said. "However, if you wanna start talking a little trash and do little small stuff to try to get at me, I can play that game, too. But at the same time, it's in your best interest to not."

But his teammates know. Houston let Greenard walk in free agency despite an excellent season. He'd spent the first four years of his career as a Texan. Better to ask former and current teammate Blake Cashman.

"Whether he wanna admit it or not ... he played it cool all week. But I knew by the time that ball was kicked off, he's gonna be playing with a little bit higher level of emotion and excitement. He had a great game," said Cashman.

Interior defensive lineman Harrison Phillips predicted Greenard's three-sack show . Because he knows how "JG" operates.

"He was talking to me during the week, 'Listen, I feel like this is gonna be a game for you.' Him, (Pat) Jones, pretty much were like, 'This is gonna be the game for you,'" said Greenard. "I don't wanna 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 on that game. I just wanted to play my game, let the plays come to me. When my number's called and go make a play. But yeah, he definitely did that and manifested that. We both did."

"He was amazing," said cornerback Shaq Griffin. "He was absolutely amazing. I feel like it was the perfect time to get three in one day. I'm glad it was against the Texans. So I'm happy for him."

Griffin played for Houston, too. So did Kamu Grugier-Hill, who, with an enlarged role, sparked the defense early with an interception.

"I think you always have a chip on your shoulder when you play a team that you've been on before," said Grugier-Hill. "Some great relationships over there. But at the end of the day you wanna ball out against them. To have a game like we did today was fun."