When the Minnesota Vikings hired defensive coordinator Brian Flores, they agreed to a massive shift on the defensive side of the football. This season, the Vikings blitz at the highest rate of any team in the National Football League.
On Sunday, that wasn’t the case. According to ESPN Stats and Info, the Vikings blitzed on just 21.3% of plays, their lowest rate of the season.
At halftime, the Vikings barely blitzed as well with a blitz rate of just 18.8%. What caused the smaller blitz rate? It was how the offense of the Saints was approaching things. With Derek Carr as the starter, the Saints were running a lot of quick game concepts. Slants, shallow crossing routes and screens were a lot of what the Vikings were seeing.
The easiest way to attack those concepts is by playing coverage and getting pressure with a base pass rush. The Vikings found a way to do that with Danielle Hunter and D.J. Wonnum consistently wreaking havoc in the pocket.
Flores is truly modifying his approach each week and its a breath of fresh air after last season.
