Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores has the reputation as a coach who loves to blitz. But even by his standards of pressure, Flores took it to a new level in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers.
According to analytical data released a day after the first Sunday of the regular season, Flores called a blitz on 82.1% of his defensive plays versus the Packers. Only one other defensive play-caller, Washington Commanders‘ Dan Quinn, was above 50%.
The strategy worked, particularly late in the game. Minnesota’s aggressive defensive created a fourth-quarter avalanche that saw the Vikings score 29 unanswered points in the 39-22 victory against the Vikings.
To further see the disparity between Flores’ blitz rate and the rest of the league in Week 1, check out the chart below from NFL analyst Warren Sharp, which covers defensive pressure rate versus blitz rate.
The Vikings are quite literally almost off the chart.
“Brian Flores is insane,” wrote Sharp as a caption to his chart.
Behind the aggressive game plan, the Vikings registered four sacks, seven tackles for loss and 15 quarterback hits. They also forced two turnovers.
Brian Flores Receives Praise for Blitz-Heavy Plan vs. Packers
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer had a slightly different blitz rate percentage for the Vikings in Week 1. But honestly, it doesn’t really matter what analytical data one references; Flores had a clear game plan versus quarterback Jordan Love and the Packers. That was to blitz to create pressure and do it repeatedly.
The Vikings executed that game plan extremely well.
“Here’s a wild number to explain why it’s so fun for these guys,” wrote Breer. “The Vikings blitzed Love on 78.3% of his dropbacks, per Next Gen Stats, which is the highest such percentage posted by a defense in eight years.
“Players like to attack. Flores has the best plan for them to do it.”
No wonder Sharp called the Vikings blitz rate “insane.” To post the highest blitz rate since 2018 is quite the feat to achieve in Week 1.
Will Vikings Defense Continue to Attack at Historic Rate?
It’s probably a rather silly question to ask if the Vikings defensive coordinator can continue his high blitz rate throughout the regular season. While clearly Flores isn’t afraid to attack even great quarterbacks such as Love, he likely saw the Packers as a matchup where he could take advantage of the team’s offensive line.
The Packers have also struggled at US Bank Stadium in recent years.
With that in mind, it will be interesting to see how aggressive Flores is against the team’s next NFC North opponent in Week 2. The Vikings square off against the Chicago Bears and quarterback Caleb Williams. The Bears offense scored 59 points Sunday versus the Carolina Panthers.
In addition to the Bears offense off to the hot start, the game will be in Chicago.
Flores figures to be among the leaders in blitz rate every week in the NFL. That’s how much he loves to pressure opposing quarterbacks. But it might be truly insane if he remains super aggressive on the road against the Bears offensive line.
Vikings’ Brian Flores Turns Heads With ‘Insane’ Game Plan in Packers Win