Brian Flores and the Minnesota Vikings defense entered the rematch against the Green Bay Packers with a fantastic gameplan, like they did in their Week 4 game. However, the late-season Vikings defense is a different animal than the unit that started the season 5-0. It has evolved, leveled up, and is nearing final form. The crux of this ascension has been the pass rush and what it allows the defense to get away with behind it.
Early on this season, Minnesota’s defense had discernably improved from 2023, when, by the end of the season, all the air was leaking out from the holes that Matt LaFleur and others had poked in it. Flores transformed his scheme from an all-or-nothing, blitz-six-plus-or-drop-eight defense that lived and died by the sword to a much more nuanced plan of attack, thanks partially to a more complete arsenal.
Before the season began, analysts were not confident in Minnesota’s cornerbacks. Frankly, the staff may not have been either, but they certainly are now. Last season, Flores had to work around an uninspiring cornerback group by playing off-zone coverage behind manufactured pressure. It was unorthodox enough to work for a while, but the defense fell apart when teams found out he didn’t have a change-up.
He added more layers to that plan this season, although plenty of armchair experts thought he’d have to do something similar to hide his lackluster corners. Early on, those concerns seemed warranted. The Vikings ran man coverage at a league-low rate and seemed to have added more window-dressing to their zone coverages.
That changed in Week 13 against the Arizona Cardinals when the Vikings ran man coverage over 50% of the time — and did it effectively. Since then, Flores has grown highly confident in using man coverage. Despite running man coverage at the lowest rate in the league, Flores’ defense is first in the NFL in EPA/play allowed when he uses it.
Against Green Bay, the Vikings ran man coverage nearly 48% of the time, a far cry from their season-low man-coverage rate of 10.7% in the first meeting with the Pack. Jordan Love entered the game leading the league in EPA/play against zone coverage, and Flores knew he needed to throw the curveball.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said after the game that “they ran a little more man coverage than we were anticipating.”
This is coachspeak for, They ran way more man coverage than we were anticipating, and we weren’t prepared for it.
For all of the wacky schematic things Flores uses to confuse opposing offenses, this gameplan highlighted his unwavering confidence in his players. Defenders were winning matchups all over the field. Byron Murphy only allowed 1.4 average yards of separation and 13 yards on one catch. Jonathan Greenard logged five pressures on 32 pass rush snaps. Pace and Cashman were dusting O-linemen in the run game and suffocating the short and intermediate part of the field.
It started up front with the run defense and pass rush. Packers running back Josh Jacobs started strong on Green Bay’s first drive before Jerry Tillery stripped him for a turnover. Jacobs set the tone early on with 51 first-half rushing yards, but the Vikings defense did just enough to foil the Packers on third downs and get off the field, allowing only three points before halftime.
Once they kept the Packers short of the sticks on first and second downs, Flores leaned on his players to finish off the series. The Vikings played man coverage on 11 of 13 third- and fourth-down dropbacks. In those situations, they held Green Bay to the second-worst EPA/dropback in the league in Week 17. The Packers averaged -0.3 yards per pass, and Minnesota pressured Love on 62.5% of such dropbacks.
When the Vikings played man coverage, their pass rush was effective and, most importantly, disciplined. Defenders in man coverage will have their back to the quarterback, so if the pass rush over-pursues and the quarterback escapes, it can turn into an explosive play. Minnesota’s pass rushers maintained contain against Jordan Love, who doesn’t resort to scrambling often but is athletic enough to do so effectively.
Flores sends five-man pressures about as often as he sends four. He’s been comfortable with the give-and-take of an extra pass rusher for one fewer coverage player, and the well-disguised zone coverage and tight man coverage he’s had access to have made that a favorable proposition.
Minnesota’s ability to run any coverage in the book behind their blitzes is a huge asset. For example, when playing Cover 3, they run five-man pressure 51.7% of the time and have the fourth-best EPA/play allowed when in Cover 3. The numbers are similar for Quarters, Cover 2, etc. The Vikings generated 11 pressures (33.3% pressure rate) against Green Bay; six of those came on third down, and five of those six came on five-man pressures.
This sort of performance and team-specific gameplan from Minnesota’s defense should instill much confidence in their playoff potential — specifically, in a potential rubber match against the Detroit Lions. Flores deployed wildly different gameplans in the two Packers games, and we may see another curveball on Sunday against the Lions. However, Flores may want to keep some strategies close to the vest this week, as it may not be the last time he sees Ben Johnson and Detroit’s offense.