The Minnesota Vikings have become one of the NFL's most aggressive defenses under defensive coordinator Brian Flores, constantly forcing quarterbacks to diagnose pressure before the football is even snapped.
If the Vikings defense is going to get beat, Flores would rather go down attacking.
"I tell our guys all the time, 'If we're going to go down, we're going to go down a certain way. We're going to go down blitzing people.'" – Brian Flores pic.twitter.com/ou5PmInSHh
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 22, 2026
“We want to be aggressive; I have always said that. I tell our guys all the time, ‘If we're going to go down, we're going to go down a certain way.’ We're going to go down blitzing people.”
His philosophy is about making the opposing quarterback uncomfortable and forcing him to make decisions as quickly as possible. Minnesota's first two opponents have experienced exactly that.
Flores relentlessly attacked Jordan Love in Week 1, sending additional rushers on almost 80% of his dropbacks. The Vikings sacked Love four times and consistently created pressure during their 39-22 victory over Green Bay.
Week 2 was even stronger. The Vikings held the Chicago Bears to just three points after they scored 59 against the Carolina Panthers in Week 1. Flores embarrassed Ben Johnson and his game plan.
Flores isn't going to abandon what has made his defense so difficult to prepare for because aggressive play-calling occasionally creates opportunities for the opponent. He's going to continue bringing pressure, disguising where it's coming from, and making quarterbacks figure everything out in a hurry.
The Vikings take on a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team in Week 3 that is 0-2 and coming off a loss to Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns. They must believe that they will get the best version of Baker Mayfield, who has not played well after signing a big contract extension just before the start of the regular season.