MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings stumbled to an 0-3 start, endured seven games without superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson and have started three different quarterbacks after king-of-durability Kirk Cousins went down with a season-ending injury.

How, then, have they managed to maintain control of a spot in the playoffs with five games to go? That’s a tribute to Brian Flores, whose bold debut as Minnesota’s defensive coordinator will undoubtedly put him in the conversation for head coach vacancies around the NFL when the next hiring cycle begins.

“I’m having a great time coaching this team. I am thankful for the opportunity to coach this group of guys,” Flores said. “It’s fun group to coach. They work hard. It’s important to them.”

Flores has not only rejuvenated a defense that had been struggling for the last three years — and even through the first three weeks of this season — but served as a valuable confidant to head coach Kevin O’Connell as the Vikings have navigated a series of depth chart challenges they didn’t face in 2022.

“That was, selfishly for me, one of the big reasons why I was excited about bringing Flo in here,” O’Connell said. “From a leadership standpoint, from a player-development standpoint, from his understanding of football, situational football.”

Hiring Ed Donatell as defensive coordinator became one of O’Connell’s rookie mistakes. Replacing him after one year with Flores has been one of his most important decisions since.

“He is incredibly bright. He is somebody that I trust completely. That does not surprise me. That was my expectation when I brought him in here, that he would do what he has done with our defense, and he has surpassed what even I thought could be possible in year one,” O’Connell said. “Ultimately, that is not a surprise to me that the league is taking notice with the quality of a coach and man that he is.”

The New York native, who was raised by Honduran parents in a rough part of Brooklyn and went on to play at Boston College, broke into the league as a scout with New England. He moved onto the coaching staff under Bill Belichick and spent 15 years with the Patriots with four Super Bowl titles along the way. He eventually ran the defense and in 2019 became Miami’s head coach.