The Minnesota Vikings’ protection places you thru 60 minutes of hell.
By means of three video games the Vikings are undefeated, and after dealing with the likes of the San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans the Vikings’ protection stays fifth in EPA per play allowed, sixth in EPA allowed in opposition to the move and second in sack fee. All of that is being performed whereas nonetheless not having prime tier cornerback play and getting phenomenal outputs from (/checks notes) Pat Jones II and Blake Cashman. Brian Flores is perhaps a wizard, and in opposition to the Texans he had Houston caught within the phantom zone.
What I get pleasure from probably the most about watching a Flores protection is how he causes a lot chaos up entrance in addition to within the secondary. Altering the image up entrance through simulated pressures in live performance with altering the image on the again finish. As a QB, you solely have a number of seconds to decipher what the blitz is and what the protection is earlier than the ball needs to be out, and what Flores is doing is dashing up that course of whereas retaining integrity in his defensive construction. In different phrases, you’re enjoying his recreation, in his world. He’s the king of the Vikings’ defensive fortress and you must go by his guidelines.
Simply have a look at this predicament Texans’ QB CJ Stroud finds himself in. Earlier than the snap, there are EIGHT folks up on the line of scrimmage. This can be a look that screams cowl 0, with all of the DBs in off protection. Nonetheless, the image adjustments after the snap. The Vikings solely find yourself speeding three, and get a superb inside stress from the nostril sort out. Stroud evades it, however there’s nothing obtainable downfield, and he has to scramble. It felt like Stroud was scrambling quite a bit on Sunday, and going again via Sports activities Info Options, it felt appropriate: together with the playoffs, Sunday noticed the third-most scrambles by Stroud in a recreation. Flores and the Vikings have been cooking, and Houston had no reply.
Simulated pressures turned a big a part of altering the image up entrance and forcing Stroud to have solutions for a brand new query. Then, when Stroud has the reply, you power him to be fallacious anyway. That is the place Flores desires to stay. Deliver S Harrison Smith off the sting and drop EDGE Pat Jones II as a way to get to Cowl 2. The road is wadding the whole lot up and Smith comes off the sting free, however he’s in a position to disrupt the throw. Stroud has to throw this excessive, forcing the again to go backwards, and the cornerback could make the simple cease. Welcome to hell.
Now, let’s get to altering the image up entrance. I feel someplace throughout the week of preparation and lead as much as the sport, Flores and the Vikings noticed that the Texans prefer to full slide their safety. What this implies is that everybody on the Texans’ line will slide to a sure route, after which the tight finish (on this case Dalton Schultz) will block the bottom edge. Flores and the Vikings knew this, and matchup hunted for his or her finest move rusher, Jon Greenard. Minnesota is in a 5 man entrance, however drop Andrew Van Ginkel into protection, whereas including LB Blake Cashman. This can be a pretty easy blitz, nevertheless it’s efficient as a result of with the total slide, Cashman occupies the working again who might assist Schultz on Greenard. This ends in a 1v1, and Greenard telling his former teammate to hit the burden room.
Flores and the Vikings have discovered actually cool methods to isolate Greenard on gamers he has the benefit over. This was the primary play of the second half for Houston, and Flores once more makes use of Smith because the lever to drag Greenard in direction of a schematic benefit. 4 man entrance, and Van Ginkel drops and the linemen slant to the offensive line’s left. Smith blitzes off the sting and occupies a proper sort out. This leaves Greenard with a matchup on a guard, and we all know who wins that.
Flores and the Vikings are completely on fireplace to start out the season, and it’s due to using positionless gamers like Smith, security Josh Metellus, Van Ginkel, Jones II and Greenard. Their versatility permits for Minnesota to run this blitzes and pressures, whereas conserving the secondary out of dangerous positions. Minnesota has one other massive check within the schematic wizardry of Matt LaFleur and the Inexperienced Bay Packers up subsequent, and if Flores can stymie the rhythm of the Packers offense, he’ll put one other feather in his cap of a formidable begin to 2024.
