Breaking Down the Vikings' 6-1 Scheme: How Brian Flores is Redefining Defense in the NFL
An in-depth look at how the Vikings use their unique 6-1 front and aggressive pressure packages to win on first down and shut down the run.
Over the past two seasons, the Minnesota Vikings have pressured opponents more than anyone else in the NFL. Their fairly straightforward approach utilizes pressure as a tool on early downs. Minnesota, along with Tampa Bay, applied pressure on over 40% of their snaps. That is unheard of at the NFL level.
Last season, the NFL average Blitz Rate on any given down was 27.2% and 31.9% when offenses passed the ball. The Vikings finished the year with a 49% overall Blitz Rate, which rose to almost 55% when their opponents passed the ball. That stat, though, can be misleading.
In 2023, only the Giants (Wink Martindale) and the Buccaneers (Todd Bowles) were over a 48% Pass Blitz Rate, with the Panthers and Patriots joining the 40%+ club. The Broncos, Rams, and Steelers all finished above the league average (PFF). Each of these teams featured a ‘base’ five-man front defense.
Most analytics companies define a ‘blitz’ as when there are five or more rushers. This is a simple way to categorize pressures, but it doesn’t always consider the structure.
Simulated pressures, which show five or more rushers using an actual blitz but only rush four, are also included in these counts. Some, like FTN, have attempted to address this issue by labeling a blitz only if a second- or third-level player attacks the line of scrimmage.
In 2023, as the Vikings’ defense was literally taking the league by storm, Flores pointed this out in a press conference. Minnesota wasn’t necessarily pressuring per se, but using alignment and their base five-man front to create one-on-one matchups. The simple, yet clever design applied pressure across the board and was amplified by Nickel Josh Metellus or Safety Harrison Smith, who could blitz off the edge at any moment.
For most defensive snaps, the Vikings had six or seven defenders on the line of scrimmage. That look creates massive stress on an offense, forces them to run into loaded boxes, or compromises their protections. After a relatively successful 2023 campaign that saw the Vikings finish 11th in DVOA, the Minnesota front office added more firepower to Flores' arsenal.
Although the Vikings used pressure on most of their downs, in 2023, they could not generate ‘home runs’ in the pass rush and finished in the bottom ten in Pressure Rate. The following offseason, DE Jonathan Greenard and LB Blake Cashman were added from the Texans.
Via Miami, Edge Andrew Van Ginkel, who had proven to be an invaluable utility player in Vic Fangio’s scheme, was also added into the mix up front. Alabama’s Edge Dallas Turner was drafted as a speed rusher complement to the growing list of new edge rushers.
These moves amplified the pass rush and raised Minnesota to twelfth in PFF’s Pass Rush Production in 2024. The units’ 45 sacks were enough to finish sixth overall in the NFL. Van Ginkel, Greenard, and Cahsman proved to be a lynchpin in the Vikings' continual evolution and defensive success. Still, the defense trended downwards after another explosive start.
The defense, for the second consecutive year, began to show signs of weakness as the year progressed. This offseason, the Vikings again added to the front, bringing in 49ers DE Jovan Hargrave and Commanders DE Jonathan Allen. The structure of the defense is what makes the Minnesota defense so unique, not necessarily the backend coverages, such as Palms pressures and Hot coverages.
Under defensive coordinator Brian Flores, the Vikings aim to pressure their opponents on early downs (1st/2nd), but they want to do this with their front five. The added value of Josh Metellus or Harrison Smith blitzing off the edge amplifies the front. Flores is trying to create one-on-ones, and the addition of Hargrave and Allen proves the point that he wants to win at the first level.
The age-old debate of pass rush versus coverage is unfolding in Minnesota. Flores and the Vikings brass clearly believe that a dominant front can shift the advantage enough that the defense doesn’t need an elite secondary.
The Vikings finished the season second in FTN’s DVOA rankings, and first against the pass by over two percentage points, and they’ve been doing this with zone coverage. Flores is flipping the script on traditional defensive philosophy.
To start, Flores wants the offense to pass the ball. Minnesota saw the fourth-fewest runs in the NFL last year. The teams above them, such as the Lions, Ravens, and Buccaneers, all base their defenses around a 3-4 scheme, similar to the Vikings (FTN). Only Tampa attempts to blitz at the same rate the Vikings do on early downs.
The objective in Minnesota is to plug all the gaps and create mismatches on the front line on early downs. Flores even amps the Blitz Rate up on second down. The overarching goal is to get the offense in a compromising situation on 3rd Down, typically from long yardage.
Blitz Rates by Down:
1st Down = 53.4%
2nd & Long = 55.5%
2nd & Medium = 57.4
2nd & Short = 50%
With a loaded box and a staunch defensive front, teams opted to pass on early downs. According to FTN, the Vikings only trailed the Buccaneers in passing attempts per game (27) on 1st or 2nd Down. Detroit, Baltimore, and Denver rounded out the top five. All these teams share a similar early-down philosophy: load the box.
Counterintuitive to what most defenses have done for generations, Flores opts to play coverage on later downs. Winning 1st Down is critical to the success of the Vikings’ defense, and the ability to do that with numbers is what makes the Minnesota defense so unique.
Flores’ defense isn’t complex either, and middle of the field disguise rates are slightly above the NFL average, mainly used on 3rd Downs. Minnesota led the league in split-field coverage in 2024 (55%). Flores has combined two distinct philosophies: load the line of scrimmage with bodies and play from a two-high shell, to create a unique defense—something the NFL has never really seen.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to MatchQuarters by Cody Alexander to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.