The Vikings’ approach to quarterback pressure in Brian Flores’ first season as defensive coordinator was something of a study in chaos.
The Vikings’ win over the Giants reveals different flavor of Brian Flores’ defensive scheme
Vikings Insider: The defense blitzed significantly less in Week 1 than it did last year but still kept Giants quarterback Daniel Jones guessing.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
September 9, 2024 at 6:41PM
The team sent five or more defenders after the quarterback 48.8% of the time; only the 2019 Ravens had blitzed at a higher rate (50.2%) since NFL Next Gen Stats began tracking the statistic in 2018. The Vikings played most of their snaps with three safeties on the field, experimenting with the “hot” blitzes popularized in college by Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi that deployed six pass rushers with five players in zone coverage. It had rarely been done in the NFL, and at times, players admitted, the Vikings were figuring it out as they went. For much of the season, though, it worked; through their Week 14 shutout of the Raiders, the Vikings ranked in the NFL’s top five in many advanced defensive categories.
A lack of pass rushing depth and experience in the secondary took its toll, though, and the Vikings gave up 120 points in four season-ending losses that cost them a playoff spot. They transformed their front seven through a batch of offseason moves, letting Danielle Hunter leave in free agency, signing three linebackers (Jonathan Greenard, Blake Cashman and Andrew Van Ginkel) and trading up for Dallas Turner in the first round of the NFL draft. Flores and coach Kevin O’Connell looked to mix in more of the man coverage that had long been a staple in his scheme; the Vikings signed Shaq Griffin this spring and added Stephon Gilmore in August to give themselves two veteran corners who could be physical with receivers.
It all suggested the Vikings’ defensive approach in 2024 could have a different flavor than what they used in 2023. In Sunday’s 28-6 victory over the New York Giants, the Vikings sacked Daniel Jones five times and hit him 12 times despite blitzing less frequently than they ever have under Flores.
The Vikings sent more than four defenders after Jones only 22.4% of the time, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. It was the 18th-highest rate in the league in Week 1, and only the third time under Flores the Vikings have blitzed less than 30% of the time. They still put together a 36.7% pressure rate, and got all five of their sacks with a four-man rush.
“On the back end, we can do a lot of different things, show a lot of different looks, but if we’re doing those things and we’re getting pressure with four, we’re kind of having our way, because they don’t know what coverage we’re in,” safety Josh Metellus said. “We’ve got a lot of bodies in coverage, and if we’re getting pressure with four, the ball’s got to come out fast, so we’ve got a lot more eyes in coverage. It’s definitely working well together.”
Two of the Vikings’ sacks came when they closed off escape lanes for Jones, whose mobility gave them fits in the Giants’ wild-card playoff win over the Vikings two years ago. Turner got his first career sack on a stunt, and Patrick Jones II got to the Giants QB twice, cleaning up his first sack after missing his first attempt on a free rush off the edge and using a spin move to get home the second time.
The Vikings showed plenty of heavy pressure before dropping players into coverage, or employing “tag” rushes where players briefly engaged a blocker before dropping into a zone. It left Daniel Jones guessing throughout the game, and meant the Vikings got five sacks from four different players even though Greenard (who signed a four-year, $76 million contract this offseason) didn’t register a stat.
“I don’t know what you can say other than it was just an unbelievable performance out of that group,” O’Connell said. “ ‘Flo,’ his staff, all of our players, there’s a ton of guys to highlight.”
Many of them hit the quarterback even though the Vikings blitzed less than they ever have under Flores.
“We put a lot of pressure on the [offensive] line, offense coordinator, quarterbacks,” said Van Ginkel, whose interception of Jones also came on a four-man rush after the Vikings dropped two linebackers out of a six-man front. “They don’t know where we’re coming from, what we’re trying to do. And it allows us to play fast, play physical, and make plays.”
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Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold is completing more passes more often for more touchdowns than he ever has. “What we’re trying to get from Sam is to play the best football of his career,” coach Kevin O'Connell said.
