Brian Flores has fixed one major flaw with the Vikings' defense and it could help Minnesota sustain success this season
The Minnesota Vikings have finally seen sustained success under head coach Kevin O'Connell. Five games into year four, they are 37-19 under O'Connell's tutelage.
They haven't been perfect over the first three years, as O'Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah spent the entire time trying to rebuild the roster while working on winning football games. The majority of reporters and analysts maligned the competitive rebuild, but they proved you can do both at the same time.
We know that the main struggles of this team are. They have yet to figure out how to run the ball consistently, the offensive line can't keep it together for multiple reasons, and the defense allows way too many points at the end of halves.
Vikings two-minute defense has shown significant improvements
The first three years of the O'Connell era showed a major weakness in their defense: they couldn't stop teams in the two-minute drill.
One of the biggest reasons that they haven't been able to do that is due to the nature of how defensive coordinator Brian Flores calls his defenses. He doesn't go into prevent defense, but the coverage and pressure structures are much more simplistic.
This season only has five games played so far, but they have been eons better at preventing their opponents from scoring in the final two minutes.
You can tell that the Vikings are significantly better at maximizing their defensive opportunities in late-game situations. The underlying metrics continue to emphasize a much better-performing unit, including not allowing a single point allowed in the final two minutes of the game.
It needs to be said that this is a much different unit than in previous years. The Vikings overall are second in EPA/play at -0.12 and first in EPA/dropback at -0.23. The biggest factor of that success has been the improvement in the pass rush, especially on the interior.
Now, the Vikings haven't been dominant with the pass rush, but they are getting to the quarterback more than you might think.
- 2024: 49 sacks, 320 pressures
- 2025: 13 sacks (44 projected over 17 games), 97 pressures (329 projected)
Continuing to have a lethal pass rush has been an important aspect of the game, but the focus has been less on the edge rusher and more focused on the interior. Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave, Jalen Redmond, and Levi Drake Rodriguez have had the biggest impact in the success of the defense. Flores can just call normal pressure looks.
Biggest takeaway from Dallas Turner's sack: Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen pushing the pocket pic.twitter.com/GndCux3aum
— Tyler Forness (@TheRealForno) September 15, 2025
The presence of an interior pass rusher didn't exist last season for the Vikings. They had to manufacture a pass rush with different looks, blitzes, and long looping stunts. That isn't the case anymore. Sure, Flores still uses all of those elements in his defense, but he doesn't have to use them to generate pressure on a down-to-down basis. This is the main factor why the defense has grown year/year. Getting pressure quickly on the interior is the hardest, but best path to impacting the quarterback.
The big question with the Vikings is how well they will sustain this kind of success. Anytime you have a small sample size, the results can get wonky, but it's a fantastic start in improving an area of the Vikings that has been rough for some time.
Broncos grab attention with QB move before Week 7 vs. Giants
The Denver Broncos made a few roster changes as they prepare for their Week 7 game against the New York Giants at Empower Field at Mile High. The team signed third-string quarterback Sam Ehlinger to the practice squad on Saturday, whom they released from the active roster on Friday to clear a spot for inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Ehlinger serves as QB3 behind starter Bo Nix and backup Jarrett Stidham. Denver can now elevate him to the game-day roster up to three times this season. To accommodate Ehlinger, the Broncos released defensive back A.J. Woods and wide receiver Thayer Thomas, the latter departing with an injury settlement.
Greenlaw’s arrival adds another feather to Denver’s defensive cap. The veteran linebacker, who signed a three-year, $31.5 million deal in March after six seasons in San Francisco, missed the first six games due to quad injuries sustained both in spring workouts and July practice.
Activated from injured reserve on Saturday, Greenlaw participated fully in practice on Friday and is likely to contribute in a limited role against the Giants. His return could influence snap distribution at inside linebacker, where Justin Strnad has handled 75% of snaps and recorded 3.5 sacks with 25 tackles through six games.
The Broncos enter Week 7 on a three-game winning streak and are seeking their fourth straight victory to improve to 5-2. Denver’s defense has been solid in six games, ranking first in yards per play, sacks, quarterback hits, third-down efficiency, and red-zone defense, while sitting second in both scoring and total defense.
Bo Nix has benefited from the pass rush, having been sacked no more than twice per game, helping the Broncos maintain the league’s best sack differential. If Denver adds three more sacks this week, it would set an NFL record for best differential through seven games.
On the other hand, New York arrives having won two of its last three games behind rookies Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo. Dart has thrown six touchdowns since Week 4 with no interceptions and a 104.1 passer rating in a clean pocket, but struggles under pressure, completing only 48% of passes with a 48.6 rating. Skattebo has amassed 425 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns since Week 3, forcing 23 missed tackles during that span.
The Broncos’ top-ranked pass rush and defensive consistency will be a make-or-break factor in containing the Giants’ young stars and maintaining the team’s seven-game home win streak.
