When it comes to the Minnesota Vikings defense, it is doubtful that general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah or head coach Kevin O’Connell had any reason to believe that the hiring of Brian Flores would have the type of impact on the NFL rankings that has resulted.
The numbers are sensational this season as the Vikings are allowing 311.2 yards per game, a figure that ranks 10th in the NFL and they are permitting opponents to score 18.6 points per outing, ranking 5th in that category.
A year ago, the Vikings ranked 31st in yards allowed per game and 30th in points allowed per game. They have made this improvement without major personnel adjustments. Yes, they have new players like inside linebacker Ivan Pace and cornerback Byron Murphy, but neither player is a superstar.
Pace is an undrafted rookie free agent who made the team because of his brilliant showing in training camp, and he moved into the starting lineup when Jordan Hicks (shin-compartment syndrome) went on Injured Reserve. He also has the green dot on his helmet, and that means he is the one who hears Flores with his defensive play calls. Pace has made plays all year long, but it was his interception of Aidan O’Connell’s pass late in the 4th quarter that clinched the Vikings 3-0 victory over the Raiders in Week 14.
The defense is surging right now and playing better football each week. They have allowed 1 touchdown in the past 3 weeks. They gave up a late touchdown to the Broncos in Week 11 that ended up being the difference in that 21-20 loss, and they have not allowed another touchdown since.
The Bears could not find the end zone and had to settle for 4 field goals in their 12-10 victory and the Raiders were obviously blanked.
If there is any coach who has done more with less than Flores has this year, it’s Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bob Slowik. The Texans have risen from the ashes thanks largely to the play of rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud (concussion protocol), and Slowik and Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans have been the key architects.
Vikings defense climbs in NFL without superstars
But Flores has turned the Vikings defense around without the benefit of adding a superstar to the mix. Danielle Hunter has 13.5 sacks, 18 tackles for loss and 4 forced fumbles, and he is clearly an elite superstar, but he was on the team last year. He is having a bigger impact this season than he did in 2022, but he was still in that category before Flores arrived on the scene.
Flores has earned an opportunity to become a head coach in the NFL once again. After being fired by the Dolphins following the 2021 season under unfortunate circumstances that resulted in Flores suing the NFL and 3 teams for racism, he has excelled as a defensive coordinator for the Steelers and the Vikings.
He has clearly been brilliant at his job since leaving the Dolphins, and he did an excellent job before he was fired with back-to-back winning seasons, including a 10-6 record in 2020. His name will be at the top of the list for several teams that will be looking for head coaches in 2024. He has earned that opportunity.
The teams that come to mind first are the Los Angeles Chargers, Washington Commanders, and the New England Patriots, if you want to believe that Bill Belichick will be fired by Robert Kraft (more on this item below).
“He has done the best job of any coordinator in the league, and it comes on the heels of him doing a great job with the Steelers last year,” said one AFC executive. “The Vikings were a passive team that offered little resistance on defense, and Flores has turned this unit around.”
At this point, the pressure is on O’Connell to improve the Vikings offense. He is going with his 4th starting quarterback of the season as Nick Mullens gets the call in Week 15 against the Bengals.
It is a major challenge and he may not be capable of turning that around, but Flores has set the standard for what he has done with the Vikings defense, and now the head coach must respond to his challenge.
Eagles have slipped from top spot in NFL, but have legitimate chance to recover
The Eagles have been punched in the face in consecutive weeks by the 49ers and Cowboys. There is little doubt that they have slipped from their perch as the NFL’s best team – a position they held through Week 12 – after absorbing a 42-19 loss to the Niners and a 33-13 spanking from the ‘Boys.
There are problems on both sides of the ball, but the defense has more issues at this point. This has been the key to their dominance since the start of the 2022 season. Defensive coordinator Sean Desai has a big job in front of him if he is going to return this unit to its previous position.
The one good thing is that the Eagles will have time to return to their best form. While they went through the ringer with consecutive games against the Chiefs, Bills, Niners, and Cowboys, they close the year against the Seahawks, Giants, Cardinals, and Giants.
They do not have to be at their best to get past that final foursome. The Seahawks are the best of those teams and going to the far northwest on Monday night is not a vacation, but Pete Carroll’s team is reeling. The Seahawks have lost four games in a row, and Geno Smith is unlikely to be in the lineup because of his groin injury.
Drew Lock has the tools to cause problems for the Eagles defense, but Seattle’s backup quarterback will turn the ball over. He is not afraid to throw the ball into coverage and the Eagles can bait him into turnovers.
The Giants have shown some life with Jersey boy Tommy DeVito, but they are no match for the Eagles. The Cardinals are a last-place team that regularly falls apart in the second half of games.
Many of the wise guys will say that the Eagles are finished at this point because they aren’t as good as the 49ers and Cowboys. They have time to get better, and the combination of head coach Nick Sirianni and Desai are more likely to get this team back to top form than they are to accept their fate of being a playoff casualty.
This and that …
When it comes to Bill Belichick’s situation in New England, don’t believe any of the reports that you may see. Obviously, he won’t talk about anything but the upcoming opponent, and none of his coaches will ever speculate on his future. Robert Kraft has too much respect for Belichick than to float a story about the possible end of his days with the Patriots.
Belichick, 71, is arguably the greatest head coach in NFL history. It’s hard for some fans of a certain age to put anyone above Vince Lombardi. But reports about Belichick and the Los Angeles Chargers make no sense at all. The idea of becoming the next head coach of the Washington Commanders is only slightly less ridiculous.
The belief here is that Belichick will remain with the Patriots if he is going to coach next season. The idea of taking command of a new team and starting over after 24 years as head coach of the Patriots is not likely.
Yes, that is speculation – just as every report about Belichick’s future is at this point. …
Matt LaFleur and his coaches had a rough night against the Giants in the Week 14 Monday night game. The Packers scored the first touchdown of the game on a 16-yard end around by speedy rookie wideout Jayden Reed. However, they went back to that play on 4 other occasions, and it failed on 3 of them. The final failure was on the 2-point conversion attempt following Green Bay’s go-ahead touchdown, and that played a key role in the loss.
Defensive coordinator Joe Barry also failed when the game was on the line. He gave DeVito too much of an opportunity as the Giants drove the field in the final 1:31 to set up Randy Bullock’s game-winning field goal. Green Bay’s soft coverage gave DeVito the chance to find open receivers, and it turned victory into defeat for the Packers. …
It’s never too early to start thinking about the 2024 NFL Draft. Actually, it’s the perfect time. There’s good news for the Chicago Bears, who own the first-round pick of the pitiful Carolina Panthers. Here’s the order for the top 10 picks, heading into Week 15:
- Chicago, from Carolina 1-12
- New England, 3-10
- Arizona, 3-10
- Washington, 4-9
- Chicago, 5-8
- Las Vegas, 5-8
- NY Jets, 5-8
- NY Giants, 5-8
- Tennessee, 5-8
- LA Chargers, 5-8
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