Brian Flores replaced Ed Donatell with hopes that his aggressive blitzing scheme would provide better results than the soft shell, bend-don’t-break approach employed by Donatell. So far, not so good. Let’s compare the first three weeks under Donatell to the results after an 0-3 start with Flores calling the defensive plays.
2023 Vikings first three weeks
20-17 loss to Buccaneers
- Total yards: 242
- Yards per play: 3.6
- Pass yards: 169
- Rush yards: 73
- Third downs: 6 of 17
- Sacks: 1
34-28 loss to Eagles
- Total yards: 430
- Yards per play: 5.7
- Pass yards: 171
- Rush yards: 259
- Third downs: 6 of 14
- Sacks: 4
28-24 loss to Chargers
- Total yards: 475
- Yards per play: 7.4
- Pass yards: 445
- Rush yards: 30
- Third downs: 5 of 11
- Sacks: 1
2022 Vikings first three weeks
23-7 over Packers
- Total yards: 338
- Yards per play: 5.5
- Pass yards: 227
- Rush yards: 111
- Third downs: 3 of 9
- Sacks: 4
24-7 loss to Eagles
- Total yards: 486
- Yards per play: 7.1
- Pass yards: 323
- Rush yards: 163
- Third downs: 7 of 13
- Sacks: 3
28-24 win over Lions
- Total yards: 416
- Yards per play: 5.5
- Pass yards: 277
- Rush yards: 139
- Third downs: 3 of 16
- Sacks: 0
By the numbers, the 2023 defense under Flores is slightly outperforming the 2022 defense under Donatell through three games, with the exception of Donatell’s defense being better on third downs, though not by much.
Remember, the defense was good against the Bucs in Week 1. In Week 2 they couldn’t stop the Eagles on the ground, and in Week 3 they had no answer for the Chargers’ aerial assault. The sample size is small and skewed greatly by huge swings against the run or pass on weekly basis.
And it’s easy to forget that Minnesota’s defense was on the field for nearly 40 minutes against Philly, which was the result of the offense turning the ball over four times. If fresh for that entire game, the rush defense might’ve been better.
The Vikings are 0-3 largely because the offense didn’t help the defense the first two games and because the defense didn’t help the offense in Week 3, although there’s still something to be said about Minnesota’s offense going 0 for 4 in the red zone against the Chargers.
Minnesota’s defensive numbers could look significantly better after playing a lesser Carolina team in Week 4. If Bryce Young or Andy Dalton and the Panthers carve the Vikings defense open, then the problems will be crystal clear and it’ll likely only get worse with Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift coming to Minneapolis in Week 5.
