Minnesota’s relentless pressure schemes stifled Green Bay's offense, proving that strategic aggression—not just raw yardage—is the secret weapon fueling Brian Flores’ defensive masterclass this season.
The Minnesota Vikings defeated the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, 39-22. And though the score wouldn't tell it, the defense was the reason why.
The Vikings did put up 39 points. Carson Wentz came off the bench to throw three touchdowns at quarterback. Those stats on their own indicate an offensive explosion, but they don't tell the whole story.
Wentz just had 133 passing yards on 12 completions. Before leaving with injury, starting quarterback Kyler Murray had just 18 passing yards of his own. That's 151 total passing yards.
The running game wasn't that much better. Running backs Aaron Jones Sr. and Jordan Mason combined for 99 rushing yards on 27 carries. Wentz and Murray added eight more yards on the ground.
So, how did the Vikings defense win the game? Pressure rate.
Dave Holcomb of Heavy discussed the Vikings' unorthodox approach in stopping the Packers. Here's some of what he had to say on Minnesota's aggressive approach.
"It's probably a rather silly question to ask if the Vikings defensive coordinator can continue his high blitz rate throughout the regular season. While clearly Flores isn't afraid to attack even great quarterbacks such as Love, he likely saw the Packers as a matchup where he could take advantage of the team's offensive line.
The Packers have also struggled at US Bank Stadium in recent years.
With that in mind, it will be interesting to see how aggressive Flores is against the team's next NFC North opponent in Week 2. The Vikings square off against the Chicago Bears and quarterback Caleb Williams. The Bears offense scored 59 points Sunday versus the Carolina Panthers. ... Flores figures to be among the leaders in blitz rate every week in the NFL."
There are high pressure rates and then there is what Flores' Vikings did on Sunday. Some of the more successful defensive coordinators in the league are toward the top of that list in names like Dan Quinn, Todd Bowles and Vic Fangio among others.
High pressure rates are common in got-to-have-it games. A divisional game against the Packers certainly qualifies. But the high volume of pressure may not be slowing down any time soon. it's what makes Flores great at what he does.
While true that offenses that go for it on 4th down and convert often win, the same may be true of aggression on defense in the form of blitzes. Flores will hope to use that aggression to his advantage as the Vikings look to secure more wins in the near future.
