On paper, the Minnesota Vikings have a golden opportunity to advance to 4-0 in Week 4 against the Miami Dolphins after De’Von Achane was officially placed on IR with a season-ending ACL injury.
And yet, apparently no one told Brian Flores, as, on Tuesday, he told reporters he still has plenty of respect for his former team's offense. Why? Because even without Achane, they still have several quality backs who could challenge Minnesota's defense.
“I hate that he went down because we don't want our superstar players in the league out; we don't want that. Nobody wants that, but he's certainly dynamic. And that changes them, for sure. And so whether it's No. 0, Ollie, in there, Jalen Wright. They have No. 6, Malik, in there a little bit, playing some running back last week. So I don't know how they're gonna, we gotta be ready for anything. And so they got some good skill players, they got a good o-line,” Flores said.
“Obviously Malik Willis, his scrambling ability, his ability to get outside the pocket and make plays. We gotta be alert to that, which we've seen in multiple weeks now. So we should have an understanding of how we need to rush, how we need to contain. But I always say that's easier said than done. It's gonna be another tough contest, we're gonna have to have a great week of preparation.”
Sitting near the bottom of every major offensive category, including 31st in points scored and 26th in yards earned, the Dolphins aren't expected to win many games in 2026. And yet, after watching Case Keenum win his first game in over 1,000 days, Marcus Marriota end the Seattle Seahawks' win streak, and the Las Vegas Raiders begin the year 3-0, Flores is correct to be worried, as in the NFL, anything can happen on any given Sunday, Thursday, or Monday.
"It's going to be a tough contest and we are going to need a great week of preparation" – Brian Flores previews Miami pic.twitter.com/Ouz2aUUCIp
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 29, 2026