The Minnesota Vikings have one of the NFL's best defenses through seven weeks. They rank first in EPA/play allowed and are narrowly ranked second in DVOA in Brian Flores' fourth season as defensive coordinator.
Flores hasn't been afraid to be aggressive since being hired in 2023, blitzing at a higher rate than any other defensive playcaller in the league. In Sunday's win over the Indianapolis Colts, Flores ramped up the pressure to an all-time high.
Per ESPN's Kevin Seifert, the Vikings blitzed Colts quarterback Daniel Jones on 85% of his dropbacks, the highest rate of any defense over the past 20 seasons. The bold approach stifled Jones, resulting in 15 pressures and four sacks, per Next Gen Stats.
Even when he could get rid of the ball, Jones
completed only 13-of-22 passes for 108 yards and threw a game-losing interception with 1:08 to play by Harrison Smith. That resulted in a measly 4.9 yards per attempt.
The next four weeks will be new tests for Minnesota. They will play the league's top three EPA/play teams, starting Sunday against the Detroit Lions. Will Flores continue to attack these high-octane offenses with the same aggressive strategy?
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Vikings DC was relentless in blitzing Daniel Jones in Week 7
