Brian Flores' defense is powering the Minnesota Vikings toward the playoffs

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell was hired in 2022 to turbocharge the team’s offense and take the team to the playoffs and beyond on the back of a scheme that has thrived in the NFL as of late. But the team’s 3-0 Week 14 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on the road is the latest example this season of the defense carrying the team now that they are without starting quarterback Kirk Cousins.

This is a huge sea change for a franchise whose defense was one of the worst in football a year ago, prompting a coaching change in the offseason. The Vikings let go of coordinator Ed Donatell and installed Brian Flores in his place, bringing with him a radically different defensive philosophy and scheme.

Sometimes, removing a struggling scheme can be enough to improve a unit, regardless of its replacement, but Flores has built upon that with a radical defense that is causing fits for opposing offenses this season.

The Vikings still have largely the same defensive personnel as last season — a unit constructed with a wildly different defensive strategy in mind — but Flores' creativity is taking center stage.