Brian Flores of vikings aiming the postion of head coach..

The Vikings defense was horrendous a season ago. They ranked 31st in yards allowed, behind only the Lions. They were also a miserable 28th in points allowed, further cementing them as one of the league’s worst defenses. Somehow that 2022 Vikings team managed to win 13 games without any semblance of a defense. The unit was a big reason though that the Vikings got blown out in a few of their losses and were ultimately labeled as frauds after letting Daniel Jones have a career day against them in a Wild Card playoff loss. Not much was done in the offseason from a personnel standpoint that on paper would have made them a better defense in 2023, leading many to believe it would again be an issue for Minnesota. Then in walked Brian Flores as the new Defensive Coordinator.

What Flores has been able to accomplish this season has been extraordinary. He’s taken mostly the same roster, with a few additions at cornerback and linebacker, and completely changed the expectations. The Vikings are currently tied for 3rd in the NFL in average points allowed per game at 20.2. They are also up to 8th in the league in yards per game allowed. Kevin O’Connell rightfully gets a lot of the credit for keeping the Vikings afloat without their starting quarterback, but Brian Flores’ defense has been the driving force.

So, the real question is, how exactly has Brian Flores turned things around so quickly? To start with, he’s using the same guys that were on the roster a year ago correctly. Changing a scheme to fit your personnel is typically seen more frequently on the offensive side of the ball. That’s exactly what Flores has done to get the Vikings defense clicking.