FILE: Brian Flores, the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings, observes his players before Saturday, August 26, 2023, NFL preseason football game in Minneapolis against the Arizona Cardinals. Even head coach Kevin O’Connell was surprised by what Flores has accomplished in his first season as the Minnesota Vikings’ defensive coordinator. (AP Image/File: Bruce Kluckhohn)AP
ALLEN PARK — The Minnesota Vikings (7-7) have seen ups and downs during their season. As evidenced by their 3-0 victory a few weeks ago, the defending NFC North champs have rotated through four quarterbacks and have struggled to score points regularly.
However, their defence, which has a new look and scheme under defensive coordinator Brian Flores, has kept them in the running for the playoffs. In terms of scheme, nobody is using the strategy that the Vikings are. They were blitzing roughly 45% of the time and dropping eight in coverage at a rate that was higher than 20% in the league going into last week’s game. That mixture is insane.
Three-time Pro Bowler Hunter has racked up a career-high 15.5 sacks through 14 games this season—a remarkable feat considering that he had four seasons with double-digit sack totals prior to turning thirty. Flores’ plan has unleashed something in the great edge defender, as he also ranks 10th in the league with 67 pressures.
Yes, it is distinct. Dan Campbell, head coach of the Lions, described the defence as “very unique.” “And there are a lot of moving pieces in what they require those soldiers to accomplish, man. Therefore, this is one of those situations where, for us as a staff, the game plan won’t end until perhaps the morning of the event. As you continue to watch, you practise, you solve problems, and as time goes on, there will be things we add, things we cut out, and things we can tweak a little to make it better.
It takes time, so we’re going to have to change over the week. Therefore, I believe the most crucial thing is to just maintain our players’ composure and give them faith in a strategy they know they can carry out. You don’t want them to become immobilised due to the variety of options available, and I believe we can assist them with that. However, it is distinct.
It’s also important to keep an eye on if the Vikings can pressure quarterback Jared Goff. Last week, Detroit’s starting offensive line was back in action, and Goff resumed his stellar play, matching his career high of five touchdowns.
However, he has persisted in having trouble under duress. According to Pro Football Focus, Goff is the fifth-best quarterback in the NFL with a clean pocket. However, under duress, he ranks 21st among quarterbacks, and the numbers are obviously very different.
When under pressure, Goff has thrown six touchdowns to eight interceptions. But when he’s clean, he’s tearing up the football pitch with 20 touchdowns to just two interceptions.
Positively, the Lions’ offensive line returned for last week’s prime-time victory over the Denver Broncos, and it looks like everyone survived that encounter. Goff has a passer rating of 121.73 when throwing behind the Lions’ current starting offensive line, and they have a 5-0 record during that time. And against this many and forceful defence, that bunch will be relied upon once more.
You’ve only seen snippets of it. Regarding Minnesota’s defence, Goff remarked, “I think it’s rare for it all to be in the same defence.” Many defences try different aspects of what they do, but it’s amazing that they can do it all. Once more, it works for them and is successful, but it is undoubtedly difficult.
This late in the season, you frequently have some overlap with teams you’ve faced, which allows you to bring some of the same resources with you. Indeed, they do a great deal of things differently. It’s quite different and challenging, but we’ll be prepared.
