The Minnesota Vikings defense is legit. Brian Flores’ crew has found equilibrium somewhere between maniacal and unhinged.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has two regular-season in-conference losses in his entire career, and they were both against Flores’ Vikings defenses. After Sunday’s game, the cameras caught Purdy saying to Flores, “[your] scheme is crazy,” as the teams exited the field after the game. Purdy was so compelled by B-Flo’s tricks that he had to say something.
I’m sure it’s not the first time Flores has heard this. The scheme was crazy last season; it just didn’t have personnel so fitting. For that reason, this year’s defense can do all of the same pre-snap tomfoolery without needing to live in such extremes after the snap.
Kyle Shanahan is regarded as one of the best offensive minds in the league and has several top-tier weapons to deploy. Playcallers across the league try to replicate it. Even so, Shanahan and the guys who’ve played under him for years were flummoxed for most of the game. Deebo Samuel said on his podcast that the San Francisco offense was just trying to call the right play at the right time, and it was hard to figure out what Minnesota was doing on the other side.
Flores cranked up the blitz rate to close to 50% against Purdy and the Niners last weekend. It paid off. Per PFF, all three of Purdy’s turnover-worthy plays came against the blitz. However, a lot of the real magic took place on plays in which the Vikings didn’t blitz. They could still generate pressure with four because they forced Purdy to hold the ball a beat longer. In Week 2, Purdy had the third-longest average time to throw of his career, per The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen.
Purdy can create off-script more consistently than, say, Jimmy Garoppolo. However, the Shanahan offense is a very timing-based scheme that provides its quarterback with early answers. He forced a couple of seven-to-ten-yard sit routes over the middle that are usually there for this offense. Still, Minnesota’s linebackers muddied his reads by dropping from unorthodox pre-snap alignments. He was made to hesitate or second-guess his process just enough for the Vikings to get them off the field.
The Vikings defense had great success funneling throws to the flats and forcing Purdy to check down. Pre-snap disguises also made it difficult for him to discern where the Minnesota would send pressure. Despite completing 77% of his passes and making some exceptional intermediate throws, Purdy had to come off his first few reads when it mattered most.
However, the Houston offense will present some different problems, mainly due to the tools C.J. Stroud brings to the table at quarterback and the weapons at his disposal. Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs, Tank Dell, and Dalton Schultz form a daunting group of pass-catchers to contend with.
We know what Diggs can do. He may not have many top-tier years left. Still, he’s been extremely effective through two weeks. Dell had a promising rookie year, Schultz is a proven contributor at tight end, and Collins is the No. 1 target.
As skilled as Diggs is, the chemistry between Collins and Stroud sparks off the screen. Collins is a big target who is strong through contact both at the catch point and after the catch, and he consistently reels in throws outside his frame. I’ll be very interested to see how the Vikings will defend him, given the other threats in the offense.
Second-year Texans offensive coordinator and play-caller Bobby Slowik spent the previous six seasons under Kyle Shanahan, and he brought over some similar principles: plenty of under-center play action and an emphasis on attacking the middle of the field.
Minnesota’s main objective will be to disrupt the offense’s timing and force Stroud off his primary read again this week. However, Stroud’s ability to escape the pocket and keep his eyes downfield makes him incredible. His ability to throw off-platform and from awkward arm angles makes him feel impervious to pressure when you watch the highlight-reel footage. Stroud has one of the best combinations of physical ability and mental processing in the league.
Flores will need to pull similar levers this week. And, as ever, that’ll be only half the battle. The secondary will take on the massive challenge of covering one of the best groups of pass-catchers in the NFL. However, Joe Mixon‘s absence may help Minnesota’s defense this week. Mixon was a driving force in their Week 1 victory over the Colts, racking up 33 touches for 178 yards from scrimmage. He went down with an ankle injury during Houston’s Week 2 victory over the Chicago Bears and has not practiced this week. Starting in his stead would be old friend Cam Akers, who can make some plays. Still, the complexion of Houston’s offense will change without its bell-cow running back.
We will see another compelling chess match between the Houston offense and Brian Flores’ dynamic defense. Can Minnesota’s defensive backs survive in man coverage against this group? Will Flores be able to trick a quarterback like C.J. Stroud? And what will be the new wrinkle in his game plan this week?
