Vikings players and fans were saying a lot of nice things about Brian Flores on Sunday. So, too, were national NFL writers.
RandBall: Sunday was a great day for Brian Flores and a terrible day for Mike Zimmer
Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores schemed up a win over the 49ers that built on his national reputation and earned praise from QB Brock Purdy. Former Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, now the coordinator in Dallas, was on the wrong end of 44 points by the Saints.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
September 16, 2024 at 5:03PM
But the most important compliment came from the other side of the ball in the Vikings’ 23-17 victory over the 49ers.
San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy, moments after the game ended at U.S. Bank Stadium, greeted former teammate Sam Darnold at midfield. Then he turned to Flores to offer kudos and told him quite accurately that his “scheme is crazy.”
Purdy wound up with a productive-seeming day, throwing for 319 yards on 28 of 36 passing. But he also threw an interception, fumbled once and was sacked six times.
Flores kept him off-balance and guessing for most of the game, with the Vikings rallying to the ball and making enough plays to earn a convincing and important victory.
Minnesota is now 2-0, a surprise to almost everyone except the eternally optimistic Patrick Reusse — the Minnesota Star Tribune columnist who took a bit of a victory lap on Monday’s Daily Delivery podcast for predicting the Vikings would be better than everyone else thinks this season.
Big plays came in all three phases for the Vikings, including a blocked punt by C.J. Ham and a 97-yard TD connection from Sam Darnold to Justin Jefferson. It’s reasonable to still be a Darnold skeptic; it’s not reasonable to question this Flores defense.
This is best combination of coaching and talent on the Vikings’ defense since they had the league’s best unit in 2017.
Of course the man behind the defense back then was head coach Mike Zimmer, who had a decidedly worse day than Flores on Sunday.
Zimmer’s Cowboys allowed 44 points, including touchdowns on the Saints’ first six possessions of the game. New Orleans had 190 yards rushing — an area Zimmer was specifically supposed to fix after last year’s playoff disaster against the Packers — including 115 yards on the ground and four total touchdowns for Zimmer tormentor Alvin Kamara.
Saints QB Derek Carr, meanwhile, had a passer rating of 125 and a Total QBR of 99.4 (with 100 being the highest possible number).
While star Dallas defensive player Micah Parsons defended Zimmer and put the blame on the players, plenty of others weren’t so kind.
Here is the Cowboys FanSided site The Landry Hat: “While it’s on the players to execute his scheme, the scheme was an utter disaster. To say Zimmer was outcoached by Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak would be an understatement.”
Yes, the last bit of salt in the wound. New Orleans’ first-year OC is Kubiak — who was Zimmer’s OC in 2021, his final season with the Vikings.
Here are four more things to know today:
- Reusse and I also talked about the Twins rescuing their weekend with a 9-2 win over the Reds. They’re 2½ games up on Detroit and Seattle in the wild card race, and they hold the tiebreaker against both teams. With 13 to play, they just might get it to the finish line.
- A big key will be Monday night’s game in Cleveland. It’s the start of a seven-game swing against the Guardians and Red Sox. With Pablo López pitching tonight, it feels like a must-win.
- The Lynx kept their hopes of the No. 1 seed alive and solidified their hold on the No. 2 spot with a huge win over New York that was yet another part of a great Sunday in Minnesota sports.
- Minnesota Star Tribune Vikings writer Andrew Krammer will be one of my guests on Tuesday’s podcast. For an early look at part of that interview, check out the Star Tribune’s YouTube channel and our Three Hot Takeaways video.
Harrison Smith is listed as questionable because of a foot injury. The Vikings also added tight end Nick Muse, and fullback C.J. Ham traveled separately for personal reasons.
