The Vikings’ Next Step on Defense: Less Blitzing?
By definition, blitzing is a classic situation of stealing from Peter to pay for Paul. Yes, there’s upside in adding another pass rusher(s) to the mix, but the downside is that there’s now less attention being given to pass coverage.
In a lot of ways, then, the gold standard in the NFL is being able to generate pressure with four men. The Vikings’ next step may involve pursuing that precise objective.
The Minnesota Viking are thrilled to be welcoming Brian Flores back for a second season as the defensive coordinator.
No shortage of money was spent on that side of the ball in free agency. The draft helped to reinforce Flores’ crew even further, most notably in the additions of Dallas Turner (No. 17) and Khyree Jackson (No. 108). Tossing all of this talent together alongside another season with the DC may lead to the blitz total dropping by a considerable amount.
The Vikings’ Next Step on Defense May Involve Blitzing Less
The point isn’t blitzing. The point is to disrupt the opposing team’s passing offense. In turn, the hope is to keep points off the board to make wins more probable.
Minnesota blitzed a ton but teams still completed a lot of passes on them. The Vikings came in at first in the NFL by blitzing 51.5% of the time. No other team eclipsed the 50% threshold. Notably, the Vikings also led the way in a discouraging statistic: allowing 70.3% of passes to be completed into their coverage. No other team hit 70%.
Are those two percentages connected?
If I’m an offensive coordinator, I’m going to ensure my quarterback has quick passes available when Minnesota comes on the schedule. A seven-step drop while long developing routes are being run may not work particularly well if my quarterback is constantly sifting through the pressure from five+ defenders.
The basic thinking is to get the ball out of the quarterback’s hands before the pressure can arrive. The offensive linemen may all be isolated in one-on-one matchups. Even worse are the moments when there are more pass rushers than blockers. That’s a time in the game when the QB needs to recognize the deficiency in the protection and get rid of the ball before getting walloped.
Marcus Davenport missed most of the season due to injury, leaving Minnesota with just Danielle Hunter and D.J. Wonnum as the main pass rushers (Wonnum missed the final portion of the year, making the situation even worse). Flores responded by sending Harrison Smith, Josh Metellus, Ivan Pace Jr., Jordan Hicks, and other defenders with regularity in an effort to ensure QBs weren’t getting too comfortable. Does the roster overhaul open up different possibilities for Flores?
Earlier in the offseason, Kevin O’Connell noted that adding Shaq Griffin could help to spark an adjusted strategy for the defense. The hope is that Griffin can give the team more confidence in man coverage, a tweak that could make the blitzes more potent by disrupting some of the easy completions.
Now, there are different forms of man coverage. Playing off is quite a bit different from the corner lining up along the inside shade while then looking to press once the ball is snapped. In theory, one approach will lead to an easier completion underneath while one is designed to make the possibility more difficult (note: a corner whiffing on the press can lead to the defense getting in trouble in a hurry).
The point, folks, is simply that Minnesota could become more multiple. Instead of blitzing a huge amount and then playing a lot of zone behind the aggression, the Vikings could partner their blitzes with man.
Or, perhaps, they can sprinkle in more man while only sending four. Brian Flores wants to keep offenses guessing. Being able to send all of Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Dallas Turner on the field at the same time means having a three-headed pass-rushing monster. Potentially, it’s a way more intimidating combo than Hunter and Wonnum.
Flores would then be left with seven defenders to corral the available pass catchers, a number that maxes out at five since the QB + OL make up six players for the offense.
Even if Flores shaves off 10%-15% of the blitzes, Minnesota is likely to be among the league leaders in this area. Last season, only nine teams cleared 30% for defensive plays with an extra man being sent. And then only three teams cleared 40%. Make no mistake: blitzing somewhere between 30%-40% of the time is still very aggressive.
Back in Miami, Flores was a bit more restrained. His Dolphins blitzed 31.6% of the time in 2019, 40.8% of the time in 2020, and 39.6% of the time in 2021. So, last year’s 51.5% was unusually high, even by Flores’ standards.
Something that won’t be changing is the defensive coordinator’s desire to be on the attack. Minnesota’s defense may get beat, but they won’t do so by being overly passive. The added twist may simply arrive in Minnesota’s capacity to blitz a bit less while still generating pressure.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.