Asked about how he’d handle the challenges of facing an aggressive Detroit Lions offense that has scored 89 points in the past two weeks, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores showed no fear.
“Fight fire with fire,” he replied. “That’s just me.”
The Vikings-Lions matchup on Sunday, October 20 marks a Titanic tilt between the NFL’s top offense in Detroit and Minnesota’s defense, ranked No. 1 in Defense-adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA).
Currently undefeated at 5-0, the Vikings boast the largest point differential (+63) in the entire league, followed by the Lions (4-1) at +60 as both teams have been dominant through the first quarter of the season.
While the field will have its share of star-studded players, the most intriguing matchup is arguably between Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Flores — two of the league’s most creative minds in their respective areas.
Under Johnson’s playcalling, the Lions are averaging a league-high 30.2 points per game, while Flores’ defense has allowed the third-fewest points per game (15.2) and ranks top-5 in several key categories.’
With Detroit coming off a 47-9 drubbing of the Dallas Cowboys on October 13, Flores made the challenge ahead for the Vikings clear.
“It’s a talented team. Across the board they play physical. They don’t really have a lot of weaknesses,” Flores said in an October 15 news conference. “Normally, you watch the tape, you say, ‘Hey we’re going to attack them here.’ That’s not really the case with this group. So, really from the backs, to the tight ends, to the receivers, to the o-line, to the quarterback, to the play caller, all of it is high level. They do a really nice job.”
Vikings, Brian Flores’ Must Pressure Lions QB Jared Goff
The Vikings’ 5-0 start took the league by surprise; that’s partially due to a string of talented quarterbacks they opened the season against. The Athletic deemed Minnesota to have the third-most difficult schedule against quarterbacks this season.
But through five games, Flores has shown that he will not shy away from blitzing opposing quarterbacks no matter their pedigree. Minnesota tormented Daniel Jones, Brock Purdy, C.J. Stroud, Jordan Love and Aaron Rodgers — forcing the most pressures (84) and interceptions (11) through five games.
The game plan is already out there: Flores is going to blitz. But getting pressure on Jared Goff in Week 7 will be tantamount to the team’s success.
Goff is sixth in big-time throw rate and leads the league with 12.1 yards per attempt when blitzed, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). However, he’s also thrown the second-most interceptions (3) and ranks fifth in turnover-worthy play rate (4.8%) when blitzed. When Goff sees the blitz, he’s bound to take risks for better or for worse.
Like most quarterbacks, Goff declines under pressure.
That bodes well for a Vikings defense that leads the league in pressure rate (32.6%) and blitz rate (41.6%). However, the Lions’ offensive line, ranked No. 1 by PFF, could present the toughest challenge at creating pressure yet this season.
Vikings Home Favorites Over the Lions
Entering Sunday’s matchup, Minnesota is a 2.5-point favorite at home over Detroit.
The biggest knock against the Lions comes after losing Aidan Hutchinson for likely the season. Hutchinson was becoming a runaway favorite for the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award, leading the league with 8.0 sacks and 45 pressures before undergoing surgery for a fractured tibia and fibula.
The next most productive pass rushers for Detroit are defensive linemen Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill with 17 and 16 pressures, respectively. The next closest edge rusher to Hutchinson is former Viking Marcus Davenport with 7 pressures.
Davenport is on injured reserve after suffering a potentially season-ending elbow injury in Week 3, leaving few proven options on the edge for Detroit.
