Brian Flores' Vikings defense using deception and daring in 3-0 start

MINNEAPOLIS — Contrary to popular belief, humans cannot be completely swallowed up by quicksand. It is a favorite plot device for Hollywood scriptwriters looking to inject some slow-developing drama into their projects, but scientists have proven time and again that the human body’s density ensures that the deepest a person can sink is about waist high.

Try telling that to the Houston Texans.

In their 34-7 dismantling of the Texans on Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings set their defensive trap early in the game and let young quarterback C.J. Stroud and the Houston offense work against itself to fall deeper and deeper into the hole. Vikings defensive tackle Harrison Phillips has watched it happen in every game of this surprising 3-0 start as offenses struggle to process their disguises and decipher which threats are real and which are imagined.

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“It’s not the first couple drives of the game, but you can see it set in later on when things aren’t going well,” Phillips said.

Defensive coordinator Brian Flores has concocted a scheme that uses deception, chaos and pure frenetic energy to confuse the opponent. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah spent the offseason providing Flores with the right mixture of established veterans and up-and-comers to produce one of the trickiest, sneakiest and most confounding units in the league. Through the first three weeks, the defense has surrendered three total touchdowns. The Vikings’ last two opponents, the Texans and San Francisco 49ers — both viewed as contenders — went a combined 6-for-16 on third down.

“That’s the idea of it. We want to create chaos,” safety Harrison Smith said. “For the most part, we know what we’re doing. Sometimes we don’t, and it looks even more chaotic. That’s all right, too.”

In Stroud and Brock Purdy, the Vikings have turned two of the league’s most promising and successful young quarterbacks into puddles of uncertainty using undergraduate educations to search for answers to master’s-level questions.

Closing out the 1st half with a sack.@AndrewVanGinkel

📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/04gVd8fFnz

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 22, 2024

Last week Purdy sought out Flores after the game to tell him how “crazy” his scheme was after the Niners fell 23-17. Stroud was too proud to give the Vikings too much credit on Sunday, but his final line of 20-for-31 passing for 215 yards with one touchdown, two interceptions and four sacks did all the talking for him.

.@Cambeezy_ with a big-time INT!

📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/fDpFJcEEcj

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 22, 2024

“I’m a huge fan of C.J. Really always have been,” said Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, speaking with the perspective earned from his days of playing quarterback. “But you could feel the back and forth of what each snap, and the stress of each snap, and the potential based upon the looks that they were getting, what that was doing. There’s a little bit of mental attrition that takes place where every snap, you just don’t get a lot of plays where you can just call plays, snap the ball and just go.”

Offenses that thrive on rhythm and timing have been granted neither by this Vikings defense. The linebackers and defensive backs are prowling pre-snap, waiting until the last possible second to get into position to avoid offering any tells to their opponent. Cornerback Shaq Griffin said it has been a common occurrence for a receiver to break the huddle, come up to the line and survey the secondary before barking at him that he has figured out the coverage they are deploying.

“Every time I get a receiver that lines up against me and he tries to guess what coverage we’re in, he guesses wrong,” Griffin said.

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What is true about quicksand is that the harder a person tries to get out, the more he twists and turns and writhes, the further he sinks into its grip. That is exactly what happened in the second quarter Sunday. The Vikings led 14-0, but all was not yet lost for the Texans, who faced a third-and-4 from the Minnesota 25. That’s when they started to writhe.

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Right tackle Tytus Howard was called for a false start.

Third-and-9 from the Minnesota 30.

Center Juice Scruggs moved his head before snapping the ball and was whistled for another false start.

Third-and-14 from the Minnesota 35.

With the home crowd roaring and Slash’s unmistakable guitar riff from “Welcome to the Jungle” blaring through the speakers, left tackle Laremy Tunsil left just a moment too quickly to get into his pass protection for a third consecutive false start penalty.

“The threat of the bomb is just as scary as the bomb itself,” Phillips said. “It doesn’t matter if we’re bringing six or we’re not bringing six. They’ve got to be ready for it and protect it up.”

Third-and-19 from the Minnesota 40.

Stroud’s desperation pass to Nico Collins fell incomplete, but the Texans were remarkably called for a fourth straight penalty, this one for illegal formation. The Vikings declined it, and the Texans punted to leave the possession empty-handed.

“I’m sure the overcommunication, the complexity of our defense aids in that,” Phillips said. “But if we were not playing in this stadium, that would not have happened. When people come to U.S. Bank Stadium, they’ve got to play against 12 of us.”

@Vikings home crowd, is best home field advantage in NFL currently . Texans can’t run their offense . #SKOL

— Cris Carter (@criscarter80) September 22, 2024

“They don’t stop, man. Them boys out there (are) hungry,” said Vikings left tackle Christian Darrisaw, who saw all of this coming during training camp battles with the defense in August. “They’re out there attacking that quarterback. And, playing in his stadium, man … All those flags in a row? Oh my goodness. It makes it hard for that offense to even focus and concentrate mentally.”

The final blow came in the fourth quarter. The game was already out of hand, and Stroud faced a second-and-12 from the Houston 46. Phillips burst through the line and homed in on the QB, who escaped him not once, but twice. Rather than throw the ball away, Stroud held onto it, trying to make something out of nothing. That’s when former Texan Jonathan Greenard engulfed him for his third sack of the game. Now it was third-and-26, and the drive succumbed to the sand two plays later.

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans pulled Stroud from the game, letting backup Davis Mills play the final four minutes. Mills drove the Texans down to the Vikings’ 3-yard line. With nothing to gain but pride, the Vikings defense forced four straight incompletions.

Flores leaped off the sideline, pumping his fist and throwing his headset to the ground, high-fiving anyone who dared to enter his orbit. He then glared across to the other sideline and waved toward the tunnel as if to tell the Texans to get off of his lawn.

“I keep telling people, the way this defense is run, you’ve got to have a crazy person at the head of it,” Griffin said, laughing. “That’s (Flores). He’s the only person that can do it. That’s the reason why all these teams are still confused.”