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“The scheme, man, it’s crazy.”
Those were the words of 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy to Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores during on-field handshakes moments after Minnesota’s 23-17 win over San Francisco in Week 2.
Essentially, Purdy’s nod to Flores was the ultimate compliment an opposing quarterback can give to the defensive coordinator.
While the third-year passer threw for 319 yards at 8.9 yards per attempt against Flores’ scheme, much of that productivity came during garbage time. Excluding that garbage time, Purdy had an EPA per drop back of -0.390, which was the sixth-lowest of all teams in Week 2. In short, very atypical for a Purdy-Kyle Shanahan-led 49ers offense.
Perplexing one of the league’s most synergistic coach-quarterback duos was an accomplishment in its own right for Flores and the Vikings. But this wasn’t an anomaly. In Week 3, the Vikings defense rocked C.J. Stroud and the Texans stellar receiver trio of Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell en route to a 34-7 Minnesota victory.
In that contest, Houston’s offense managed a meager -0.256 EPA per drop back, the eighth-lowest in football for the week.
Those back-to-back seismic performances from the Vikings defense sent me to the “film room” — my office off my kitchen. And while it’s much easier for me to type this from said office than it was for Purdy to face it live, I can attest — the Vikings’ scheme is indeed crazy.
Let’s dive in. The world of Flores’ scheme is captivating.
The Flores defense is thriving, allowing 10 point per game … what if the unit allows just 16 points per game the rest of the season? SportsLine Data Scientist Stephen Oh breaks it down.
VIKINGSWINSWIN%DIVISIONPLAYOFFCONFCHAMP
Current (Allow 21 PPG)10.058.8%30.0%66.0%6.7%2.4%
If They Allow 16 PPG11.567.6%61.2%92.1%24.8%13.4%
Difference1.58.8%31.2%26.1%18.1%11.0%
I’ll start here — perfectly on-brand, Flores has…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/inside-vikings-3-0-start-the-crazy-defensive-scheme-of-brian-flores/
Author : Chris Trapasso
Publish date : 2024-09-26 14:12:32
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