Brian Flores admits that the Minnesota Vikings were surprised that the Los Angeles Rams activated Puka Nacua for their Week 8 Thursday night matchup.
“Quite honestly, we were a little bit surprised that he was out there,” said Flores, who said they found out four hours before the game. “We had seen a little bit of him from the previous year but not much this year. So there was a bit of scrambling, too.
“And he was involved early.”
Matthew Stafford targeted Nacua on his first two passes, and Nacua led the Rams with seven receptions for 106 yards. With Blake Cashman out, Los Angeles targeted the middle of the field and the flats. Sean McVay used a blueprint Ben Johnson and Zac Taylor created to exploit Minnesota’s defense in LA’s 30-20 win.
Flores will have Cashman for their Wild Card matchup on Monday. Still, there will be a lot of focus on how Minnesota’s defense performs. Kevin O’Connell versus his mentor may steal the headlines, but the Vikings’ defense has driven winning all season.
To avoid losing to the Lions and Rams consecutively again, this time with the season on the line, Minnesota’s defense must hold McVay in check.
Adding intrigue to the matchup, teams will interview Flores for their head coaching position. Unlike last year, when nobody interviewed Flores, the Chicago Bears and New York Jets have requested interviews with him. Flores also expressed interest in the New England Patriots job.
“I mean, look, we’re talking about going home where it all started,” he said. “When I talk about my football journey, that’s where it started.”
Flores hasn’t hidden his interest in becoming a head coach again. He was an assistant with the Patriots from 2008 to 2018 and had a 24-25 record as the Miami Dolphins’ head coach from 2019 to 2021. However, his Miami tenure ended with him suing Dolphins owner Stephen Ross for allegedly offering to pay him to lose games, as well as suing the league for racial discrimination.
In August, Tua Tagovailoa called Flores a “terrible person” on Dan LeBatard’s podcast. The lawsuit against the Dolphins and the league, which alleges that owners host sham interviews to comply with the Rooney Rule, and Flores’ handling of Tagovailoa may given owners pause in hiring him.
Before the season, he said he didn’t know why teams didn’t interview him and that he was happy in Minnesota. “There’s no way to know,” he said. “It’s not really something I’m spending a lot of time thinking about.”
However, he says he will take all interview requests in this cycle. “I plan on sitting down and having conversations with any team that’s interested in talking to me about that position,” he said.
Flores’ defense fell apart last season after the Cincinnati Bengals used dagger to create chunk plays over the middle of the field in their 27-24 overtime win in Week 15. The Vikings shut out the Las Vegas Raiders the week before but gave up 30 or more points in their final three games.
However, Minnesota signed Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Cashman to solidify their after Kirk Cousins signed with the Atlanta Falcons. With more skilled players on defense, Flores has built a more dynamic scheme, and Minnesota has had one of the league’s best defenses all season.
Minnesota’s defense has been so good that other teams have set aside their qualms about Flores this year. Flores said that it would take the “right situation” for him to leave Minnesota, which probably means the New England job. However, he may be looking for leverage by taking interviews, knowing the Vikings would be wise to give him a raise to keep him on O’Connell’s staff.
League rules prevent other teams from talking to him until next week, and he says his focus is beating the Rams on Monday. “I pride myself on being able to compartmentalize,” he said. “I’m certainly locked in on the Rams and all the things that they can do.”
Flores probably won’t leave Minnesota unless the Patriots hire him as their next head coach. However, they will probably choose a former offensive coordinator because they have their franchise quarterback, Drake Maye, under center.
Still, a week after losing to the Detroit Lions in the only regular-season game to feature two 13-plus-win teams, everyone will be watching the Vikings again. Only this time, it’s because a few teams would like to steal Minnesota’s defensive coordinator.