Kevin O'Connell enjoyed a very satisfying first season as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings and his team displayed plenty of character in rolling to a 13-4 regular season record that allowed them to win the NFC North crown.
While the Vikings often played their best football when the game was on the line in the fourth quarter, the defense was unable to play competitively against the better offensive teams in the league. They were blown out in losses to the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers, and the defense also failed in a loss to the Detroit Lions.
Those defensive problems came to a head in Minnesota's Wild Card game against the Giants. Despite playing at home, the ordinary Giants offense had no problem moving up and down the field and they came away with the road upset.
So, the Vikings may have had a fairly dynamic offense with Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson, Dalvin Cook and Kirk Cousins, but the defense was a problem area.
Defensive issues
Vikings fans know this is nothing new, as that unit struggled badly in 2020 and 2021, the final 2 years of the Mike Zimmer regime.
Minnesota parted company with defensive coordinator Ed Donatell after the 2022 season. Donatell preached a largely vanilla scheme that was easy for opposing offensive coordinators to figure out. The Vikings brought in fiery defensive coordinator Brian Flores, and he will offer a far more complex scheme that should make Minnesota a better defensive team.
However, the Vikings don't have a boatload of great defensive talent. Edge rusher Danielle Hunter is their best defensive player, but he is unhappy with his contract and he may no longer be the game-changing talent he was during his best years of 2018 and '19.
It remains to be seen if Hunter is going to play a key role with the Vikings this year.
Secondary is a key issue
The Vikings have struggled in all areas of their defensive play, but their pass coverage has been a major issue for multiple seasons.
One of the key additions during the offseason has been cornerback Byron Murphy, who put in 4 seasons with the Arizona Cardinals before signing with the Vikings.
Murphy was very consistent in his first three seasons in Arizona, and played fairly well in 2022 but he was troubled by a back injury that caused him to miss 8 games.
If Murphy is in top form this season, he can help turn a weakness into an asset. The Vikings need a shutdown corner who can take on the best receivers the Vikings will face and keep them from dominating. They have not had that kind of cover man in years.
If Murphy is that player, they have a couple of promising cornerbacks in Akayleb Evans and Andrew Booth who can play well in a supporting role.
The same holds for the safety position. Veteran Harrison Smith is an established presence who has been one of Minnesota's few dependable defensive stars for the last 11 seasons. Smith may have slowed by a half-step at age 34, but he clearly understands how to play the game. If second-year safety Lewis Cine can stay healthy, the secondary could be much improved.
However, the key is Murphy. He is a potential star and game changer, and he needs to play at close to an All-Pro level.
Help from the pass rush
No matter how well the secondary plays, that unit can't take full responsibility for the defensive performance.
Flores knows that if the Minnesota defense is going to improve, it is going to have to get a solid contribution from its pass rush. Hunter is coming off a season in which he had 10.5 sacks, and he still has the ability to contribute.
The Vikings also signed outside linebacker Marcus Davenport and defensive end Dean Lowry in the offseason, and the hope is that one or both of them will give the defense more of a presence that it had at any point in the last 3 seasons.
The scheme that Flores is planning to use will change depending the opponent the Vikings will face from week to week. Flores has demonstrated throughout his career with the Patriots, Dolphins and Steelers that he excels at finding opposing weaknesses and coming up with a scheme that will take advantage of them.
However, his gameplans are dependent on having talented players to fulfill the roles. Murphy appears to have that talent, and if he gets support from the pass rush, he could be the surprising player that helps give the Vikings an improved defense.
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