It’s not just the actual blitzers from Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores that get you; it’s also how they present themselves pre-snap to confuse a pass-blocking scheme and create favorable one-on-one matchups. All afternoon against the Chicago Bears, the Vikings showed multiple threats on the line of scrimmage; the Bears set their pass protection; then the Vikings dropped defenders off, leaving some Bears blockers unoccupied.
Flores’ overall 75.9% blitz rate through two games is
the highest in the NFL by far, with the second-highest coming from the Carolina Panthers at 48.1%. In case you were wondering, the Bears blitz the sixth most at 40.3%.
But again, it’s not just the frequency of the blitz; it’s the design. Flores is really good at his job. Chicago didn’t know who was rushing or from where, and no stat showed that better than this.
Now let’s move on to the Sackwatch!
- Sack 3: 2nd Quarter: 2-3-CHI 41 (:15) (Shotgun) C.Williams sacked at CHI 24 for -17 yards (A.Van Ginkel)
Last play of the half, and the Bears were just trying to get a big chunk. The Vikings were showing 6 threats, and the Bears elected to slide protection left, leaving outside linebacker Dallas Turner (#15, circled) unblocked off the Bears’ right side (and Caleb Williams’ responsibility). The Bears must have figured Minnesota would drop one of the four inside defenders out, but they didn’t know who.
On the snap, right tackle Darnell Wright got in position to cut off Turner while watching the man in front of him, linebacker Eric Wilson (#55). Check out the end zone view in the GIF below.
If Wilson dropped, then Wright would try to quickly shift focus to Turner. But Wilson blitzed, so Wright had to stay. Linebacker Blake Cashman (#51), who was lined up over right guard Jonah Jackson, was the defender who dropped, but he did it after engaging, ensuring the Bears would keep Jackson and Wright exactly where their pass-blocking rules tell them to block, which meant Turner would be free.
Cashman also dropped right into the throwing lane, so this was just a nice design and call here by Flores, who completely understood the situation.
Caleb evaded Turner, but outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkle (#43), who was chipped by running back Kyle Monangai, ran around left tackle Theo Benedet with little resistance and corralled Williams for the sack.
Turner was the reason this play failed, and he was free due to a nice design and call by Flores, so I need to give at least half of this to Caleb (as Turner was his responsibility), but Benedet was too passive in his set, letting Van Ginkle dictate the rush, so half for him as well.
To address Caleb’s part in this. Yes, I gave him some blame, but given the situation (they needed a big chunk of yards at the end of the half), I’m okay with him holding it in hopes of making a play by evading the rusher, which he nearly did, but Turner got a piece of him.
- Sack 4: 3rd Quarter: 1-10-CHI 13: (6:30) C.Williams sacked at CHI 10 for -3 yards (D.Turner)
Turner gets home this time, but it’s a cleanup sack after quick pressure forced Caleb to move up. The Bears ran a two-man route concept, after a play action to show a run to the right, with tight end Cole Kmet leaking into the flat after the dive to cut Turner on the left side.
Kmet’s “block” was just for show, because they also brought Colston Loveland over from the left side to block the edge. The Vikings show five threats with the three defensive linemen and two outside linebackers, and all five defenders come.
The play action with the entire o-line going right freezes the Minnesota linebackers, but it didn’t freeze Van Ginkle, who was lined up far outside Darnell Wright. That meant Wright had a long way to go to get there while also trying to slow up Vikings defensive tackle Jalen Redmond (#61). That’s a long way for right guard Jonah Jackson to get to Redmond, and when he stayed on Domonique Orange (#97) for a split second to help center Garrett Bradbury get to Orange, Jackson couldn’t cut off the Big Citrus.
Wright pushed Van Ginkle past the pocket, and Bradbury pushed Orange down the line, but Jackson was beat around the edge, and that missed block started the chain of events that led to Turner’s sack, so this one is on Jackson.
- Sack 5: 4th Quarter: 1-6-MIN 6 (7:42) C.Williams sacked at MIN 6 for 0 yards (B.Cashman)
This is the play Williams slid down after pulling his hamstring, and as we now know, it’s a week-to-week injury. Cashman got credit for the 0-yard sack because he touched Caleb down. The hamstring pull is why this sack happened, and if it didn’t, this is probably 6, because Loveland was out in front, and Williams had the corner of the end zone in his sights.
- Sack 6: 4th Quarter: 4-2-MIN 12 (:01) (Shotgun) T.Bagent sacked at MIN 21 for -9 yards (D.Turner)
The Bears received a gift when the refs put 1 second on the clock, giving them one final chance to tie the game with a touchdown. Just throw the ball to the end zone to give your receiver a chance. Or hit a player in the flat and let him make a play. Something, anything other than taking a sack.
But as we now know, Bagent is in concussion protocol and may not have been able to focus entirely on this play, which could be why he didn’t feel the quick pressure from Turner, who beat Loveland off the left side.
This was a seven-man protection by Chicago; the Vikings only rushed five, but here’s another play where Flores’ pre-snap look left Jonah Jackson with no one to block.
I’ll give Loveland the sack allowed here, even though I think had Bagent been more aware, he would have chucked it toward the end zone.
CHGO’s Marc Carmen, who is close with Bagent, said this 3rd-and-goal play, 2 snaps after Williams was injured, was the play Bagent was concussed on.
Here’s the individual Sackwatch tally after two weeks:
Sacks happen – 2
Garrett Bradbury – 1
Jonah Jackson – 1
Colston Loveland – 1
Theo Benedet – .5
Caleb Williams – .5
Here are the total Bears’ sacks allowed through Week 2 going back to the Mike Martz era:
2010 Sacks – 5 (Martz)
2011 Sacks – 11 (Martz)
2012 Sacks – 9 (Tice)
2013 Sacks – 1 (Trestman)
2014 Sacks – 3 (Trestman)
2015 Sacks – 4 (Gase)
2016 Sacks – 8 (Loggains)
2017 Sacks – 5 (Loggains)
2018 Sacks – 6 (Nagy)
2019 Sacks – 5 (Nagy)
2020 Sacks – 5 (Nagy)
2021 Sacks – 6 (Nagy)
2022 Sacks – 5 (Getsy)
2023 Sacks – 10 (Getsy)
2024 Sacks – 9 (Waldron)
2025 Sacks – 6 (Johnson)
2026 Sacks – 6 (Johnson)
