The Minnesota Vikings will be facing a major test in Week 8 against the Detroit Lions, who are coming off a division win over the Green Bay Packers. Moreover, Lions QB Jared Goff is coming off a solid performance against Green Bay.
Goff went 22-for-32 on his pass attempts for 303 passing yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 119.7. As a result, the Vikings defense will have their work cut out for them in containing the Detroit signal-caller.
While speaking to the media on Oct. 27, Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores shared his thoughts on Jared Goff and facing the Lions starter over the last few years.
“I want to say it was his third year or second year [and] it was the first time I faced him, and he’s certainly grown exponentially since then,” Flores told reporters. “His command of the offense, cadence, and ability to extract information from the defense with shifts, motions, and cadence, and then use that information to make the correct reads and throws are high-level.
“Statistically, he’s been one of the best quarterbacks. Not even statistically, period, he’s been one of the best quarterbacks in the National Football League for a good amount of time. And so, yes, he’s grown quite a bit.”
Lions’ Jared Goff Won’t Be Surprised By Vikings Defense
Moreover, because Goff is a savvy veteran QB, Flores knows that the Lions starter can see what he’s throwing at him, meaning the Vikings defensive coordinator will need to be a bit more cryptic with his blitzes.
“As guys get more time under their belt, see more coverages, more fronts, and more blitzes,” Flores added. “He’s seen all the blitzes. He’s seen them all. And so he’s really, I think he’s one of the best in the league, and they’ve got a great skill group.
“He knows how to distribute the ball to all of them, and this is a major challenge and certainly keeping me up the last couple nights.”
Should Brian Flores Want to Become a Head Coach?
Speaking of Flores, former Vikings wideout Adam Thielen stated that Flores should want to be a head coach, given that he can earn as much as a head coach while being a coordinator in Minnesota and not deal with other aspects of being a head coach.
“Just the off-the-field stuff,” Thielen said in an Oct. 27 video from KFAN on what will keep Flores from being a head coach next season. “I think there’s probably a lot of talk around the league that they don’t want to get close to that. So there’s probably a little hesitancy there… But for him, why take on that stress?
“You can get paid dang near just as much as a head coach to be the best defensive coordinator in the NFL. Why not just take that? The job security is pretty dang good, and you don’t have to move your family. People absolutely love you here in Minnesota, and you get to focus on one thing.”
It will be interesting to see what Flores decides to do this offseason and whether he’ll be on the radar of any team looking for a head coach.
Vikings’ Brian Flores Has Strong Words for Lions’ Jared Goff Before Week 8