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Brian Flores will get to continue working with Kenny Dyson Jr.
A day after the Minnesota Vikings 9-3 slog at rainy Soldier Field, Flores was asked about the defensive performance. The Vikings held the Chicago Bears to a single field goal one week after Chicago dropped 59 points on Carolina. The scoreboard made it look simple. Flores and the Minnesota defense refused to let Chicago score on them like many had thought all week.
“It wasn’t perfect, but it was good,” Flores said. “The Bears are a really good team, really good players.” That was the through-line. He would not let a 9-3 road win become a coronation, and he would not let Chicago’s Week 1 explosion disappear from the tape. Flores kept coming back to the same point: Ben Johnson’s offense still has explosive players, and Soldier Field on a wet Sunday was no place to get cute.
From 59 points to 3
This game was the feature of Week 2 in the NFC North. Chicago opened the season with a 59-37 win at Carolina, a night that made the Bears look impressive on offense. On Sunday, Minnesota limited them to 297 yards, four sacks, one interception, a forced fumble, and no touchdowns. Will Reichard’s three field goals on the day were all that was needed. The defense didn’t allow a touchdown and silenced Soldier Field.
Flores credited the response more than the scheme. Playing the Bears on the road, against a loaded roster on offense, was a tall task. The team didn’t back down, but stepped up to the challenge. Dallas Turner turned up the heat with 2 sacks and 2 tackles for loss as well on the day. Turner was creating havoc all day in the backfield.
Redmond Delivers A “Peanut Punch”
The biggest play of the game came at the end of the 3rd quarter. Chicago had first-and-goal at the Minnesota 1. D’Andre Swift took the handoff, coming off a big week. Jalen Redmond punched the ball free with a “Peanut Punch” type of play. The peanut punch, made famous by Chicago Bears great Charles “Peanut” Tillman, had his own move used on his former team. Isaiah Rodgers recovered the ball at the Minnesota 1-yard line, preventing a potential score. A potential go-ahead touchdown became a turnover, and the Bears never recovered on the afternoon.
Flores did not treat Redmond’s forced fumble like a lucky bounce. He treated it like the product of a player who has been stacking ordinary days until they become extraordinary ones.
Flores Praises Jalen Redmond
He loves the guy. Redmond, Flores said, has put that time in and more, so it is not surprising to see him succeed when the ball is on the 1-yard line and the stadium is loud and wet. The punch-out halted Chicago’s best drive of the day. The praise that followed was about more than the play. He’s got real leadership qualities. He’s just fun to be around,” Flores said.
“I think vibe and energy are big on defense, and he certainly brings a great vibe and energy.” – Brian Flores on Jalen Redmond
That is Flores-speak for a player who changes the temperature of a huddle.
Redmond has become one of those interior pieces Minnesota’s defense is built around: not always the headline name, but the one who shows up in the pile when the game tilts. A forced fumble at the 1 is the clip. The weekly work is why Flores was not shocked by it.
Banks in the fire
The other interior story was less viral and, in Flores’ telling, just as revealing. Rookie defensive tackle Caleb Banks was forced into a larger role after an injury to Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins. Banks, the No. 18 overall pick out of Florida, finished with six tackles and a tackle for loss in his second NFL game.
Flores was asked about the first-rounder the way first-rounders get asked about: with the draft slot hanging over the question. He pushed the slot aside. He was thrown in the fire, and he responded,” Flores said. Then he went after the noise that has followed Banks since April. Narratives get thrown around with high picks, Flores said, and he reinforced his confidence in the rookie anyway.
Banks did not need a press conference to prove he belonged. He needed snaps in a division game, in the rain, after a teammate went down. He got them. He answered. That matters inside a Flores defense, which asks interior linemen to win one-on-ones, occupy blockers, and keep the picture clean for linebackers. A rookie can look the part in August and still shrink in September. Flores’ read was that Banks did not shrink.
Looking Ahead at 0-2 Tampa Bay
The coordinator’s last turn was the one that told you where his week actually is. Minnesota is 2-0 and alone atop the NFC North. The next test is Sunday at Tampa Bay, a Buccaneers team sitting 0-2 after close losses to Cincinnati and Cleveland. A team that gave up 5 turnovers over those two games in losses.
Flores did not sound like a coach taking a 0-2 opponent lightly. He said the Vikings need to do a good job from a preparation standpoint, and he noted that Tampa Bay may have its back against the wall.
A 0-2 home team in Week 3 is a different animal than a 1-0 team still riding last week’s 59-point high. Desperation changes the temperature. Flores knows the team needs to be ready and will have them fired up to get a potential third straight win to start the 2026 season.
Brian Flores Praises Vikings Defense After 9-3 Win Over Bears