Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores chatting with Tatum Everett on February 15th, 2023. The Vikings hired Flores from the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he was a linebackers coach for one season.
The Minnesota Vikings have surpassed most people’s expectations with how they have started the season. Heading into a Week 4 matchup with the Green Bay Packers, there is a lot of buzz about the Vikings. There’s a lot to like about this team, but I enjoy the defense — and I am not alone. Brian Flores and his defense are the talk of the league right now and are receiving a lot of praise.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell and QB Sam Darnold get a lot of the attention for the Viking’s 3-0 start. They deserve the credit they are getting for their part. However, there is no doubt that their jobs are being made easier by a rampant Vikings defense. Darnold is the latest quarterback to salvage his NFL career after a slow start. You can see Geno Smith, Baker Mayfield, and even Justin Fields. The Vikings are well set on offense for a QB to succeed with O’Connell’s ability to nurture his signal-caller and plenty of weapons, led by Justin Jefferson to help Darnold.
A defense that looks as good as any in the league gives the offense even more chances to succeed. When the Vikings’ defense terrorized the Giants’ defense in Week 1, there was an element of its only the Giants. In Week 2, the 49ers were missing Christian McCaffrey, and O’Connell had proven he had Kyle Shanahan’s number the year before. The Week 3 decimation of the Texans opened everyone’s eyes. CJ Stroud, one of the league’s most talented young quarterbacks, was seeing ghosts.
Stroud was pulled out of the game in the fourth quarter with the game lost. The indignity of being pulled is not how Stroud envisioned his first trip to US Bank stadium. Flores completely outmaneuvered the Texans, and the offensive coordinator, Bobby Slowik, and the Vikings’ defense dominated the day. In the aftermath of the game, there was talk of the Vikings being one of the best-coached teams in the league, of O’Connell and Flores being the best offensive and defensive play-caller duo in the league, and even of Flores’ stock rising in league circles that another chance at a head coaching gig could be on the horizon.
What has made the Viking’s defense so good at the start of the season? It’s much the same as what made Minnesota’s defense effective at the beginning of last season and what Flores has built his reputation on. His reputation as an aggressive defensive play-caller is well-established. From his time as a defensive play caller – most notably as head coach of the Miami Dolphins – to his brief tenure with the Steelers, Flores has been known to send all kinds of blitzes.
Last season, Minnesota was the only team that blitzed above 50% of its plays. This year, the approach has not been quite so gung-ho, but the Vikings are still among the most blitz-heavy teams in the league at 39.3%.
The key to Flores’ defense is disguise, and it’s working so well in Minnesota because of the players the Vikings have procured for him to deploy. There are no superstars on the Vikings’ defense; the Vikings let their biggest name (Danielle Hunter) walk in free agency. Harrison Smith and Stephon Gilmore have been great but are at the back end of their careers.
The Vikings have a lot of good players with flexibility — Josh Metellus being the ultimate example — to move around the formation. Flores’ ability to teach multiple positions to these players allows them to disguise their fronts and coverages at a high level, causing chaos and confusion for opposing offenses. Whether it’s six or three players lined up at the line of scrimmage, the opposing quarterback can’t be sure what’s coming. The three teams the Vikings have played so far simply haven’t been able to cope with it.
Last season, the Vikings’ defense started strong but faded away in the second half of the season. Injuries played a part as they showed the lack of depth on the roster, whereas this year, the depth looks to be significantly improved. The offensive minds in the league will be working hard to solve the Flores puzzle. No defensive coach is getting more buzz now, and any coach who cracks the code will burgeon their reputation.
The Vikings currently rank first in defensive DVOA, lead the league with 16 sacks, have allowed the second-fewest points through three games, and are coming off wins against two highly-rated offenses. I don’t foresee a massive drop-off from the Vikings’ defense over the rest of the season. Flores has enough of the right players for his creativity to keep working.
Will this mean there’s a head coaching job right around the corner for him? If the decision were made solely on coaching ability, it would, but the shadow of his time in Miami still hangs over him. The lawsuit he filed won’t be looked on kindly by the billionaires who run NFL teams. The recent words from Tua Tagovailoa of how he felt Flores treated him will also go against him when many job vacancies come with the requirement of building a young QB. There is the right fit for Flores as a head coach, a tough smash-mouth team with a veteran QB at the helm.
Whether he gets that chance remains to be seen. In the meantime, everyone in Minnesota will keep enjoying him wreaking havoc with his defense.