Vikings news: Minnesota's mind-boggling blitz numbers on Jordan Love in Week 1
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Vikings news: Minnesota's mind-boggling blitz numbers on Jordan Love in Week 1 appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Brian Flores has never been shy about sending pressure. But what the Minnesota Vikings did to Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love in Week 1 took his aggressive philosophy to another level.
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According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Minnesota blitzed Love on a staggering 78.3% of his dropbacks, per Next Gen Stats. Breer noted that it was the highest blitz rate by a defense against a quarterback in eight years. That’s not just aggressive. That’s relentless.
Flores has built his reputation as one of the NFL’s most aggressive defensive play-callers, constantly searching for ways to manufacture pressure and force quarterbacks into uncomfortable situations. Against Love, there was apparently no reason to change course.
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The Vikings kept attacking, particularly as they took control in the second half of their 39-22 win over the Green Bay Packers. Flores essentially challenged Love to prove he could consistently identify where the pressure was coming from and punish Minnesota for sending extra defenders.
Minnesota clearly liked the results enough to keep dialing it up. The most telling part of Breer’s report might have been his explanation for why Flores’ players have embraced his system.
“Players like to attack,” Breer wrote. “Flores has the best plan for them to do it.”
That’s exactly what Minnesota’s defense looked like against Green Bay. Flores isn’t interested in allowing opposing quarterbacks to sit comfortably in the pocket and dictate the game. His defense wants to dictate the terms instead, and blitzing Love on nearly four out of every five dropbacks is about as extreme an example as you’ll find.
If Week 1 was any indication, Flores has absolutely no plans to become more conservative in 2026.
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