The Minnesota Vikings have been one of the most pleasant surprises in the league over the first two weeks of the season.
Sam Darnold is playing the best football of his career, and it seems like Kevin O’Connell is the kind of coach he needed to finally unleash his potential.
However, as great as he’s been, Dan Orlovsky believes their defense has been even better.
In his latest appearance on NFL Live, the former QB analyzed Brian Flores’ defense with Jason McCourty, stating that they will have opposing quarterbacks chasing ghosts all season long.
This Minn defense can get to top 5 in the NFL by seasons end https://t.co/x8sWe4RNpQ
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) September 19, 2024
They showed how opposing quarterbacks are being forced to play a guessing game every time they’re lining up at the line of scrimmage.
The Vikings only have two defensive tackles with their hands on the dirt and ready to block, with four other players lining up standing up, meaning that one of them is going to be free.
That puts pressure on the quarterback to guess who’s going to be free and adjust his protection accordingly, also knowing that he’s going to have to throw the football quickly.
Conversely, that allows the secondary to play man-to-man defense while also getting their eyes on the ball, meaning they could read and react and shift towards a bit of a zone defense because they know where the ball is going.
That’s simply brilliant, and that’s why they believe the Vikings could end up having a top-five defense by the end of the season with Brian Flores at the helm.
NEXT:
Defensive Tackle Explains Vikings’ Success This Season