Flores' system leads Vikings' defense to shine in opener against Giants
The Minnesota Vikings had long been in full control of the New York Giants in this promising season-opening performance when Byron Murphy Jr. batted away a fourth-down pass near the goal line late in the fourth quarter to ensure a touchdown-free afternoon for a revamped defense.
Defensive coordinator Brian Flores bolted onto the field in a boisterous show of appreciation, shouting praise and pumping his arm as if the Vikings had just pulled out a last-second victory.
What a difference a scheme can make, especially with healthy and proven players to fit.
"We did a lot of the things we wanted to do. We tackled well. We played well as a team. A lot to build off of for sure," said safety Harrison Smith, who contributed an end-zone interception to the domination of quarterback Daniel Jones and the Giants en route to a 28-6 win on Sunday.
Jones went 22 for 42 for 186 yards, five sacks and two interceptions, the first of which was returned 10 yards for a touchdown by Andrew Van Ginkel that drew even some of the defensive coaches into the end-zone celebration. The Vikings limited Jones to 15 yards on six rushes, an important statistic Smith noted in alluding to their struggle against Jones in the playoffs two years ago.
"Guys were disciplined up front, playing unselfish, doing the right things," Smith said, "and it made it easy for us on the back end to do our thing."
The Vikings were shredded at home by Jones and the Giants on Jan. 15, 2023, to spoil a 13-win season with a first-round loss. Jones in that game became the first player in NFL history to hit these thresholds in a playoff game: 300 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and 70 rushing yards.
The game led the Giants to give Jones a hefty new contract — and sealed the firing of Vikings defensive coordinator Ed Donatell after one lackluster year.
The arrival of Flores in 2023 provided an instant boost in pedigree and strategy, with his relentless blitzing and effective disguises fueling a 10-game stretch with six opponents held to 17 points or fewer, but the injuries and struggles among the defensive backs and linebackers piled up down the stretch.
Now the Vikings have restocked with more depth and experience for Flores to run his system without limitation. Jonathan Greenard and rookie Dallas Turner have enhanced the edge rusher roles along with the versatile Van Ginkel. Blake Cashman has formed a fleet-footed inside linebacker duo with Ivan Pace Jr. And Stephon Gilmore and Shaquill Griffin have provided an infusion of skill and savvy at cornerback to complement the steady veteran Murphy.
"I don't know what you can say, other than it was just an unbelievable performance out of that group," Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said. "Flo, his staff, all of our players, there's a ton of guys to highlight."
The pass rush generated five sacks — including two by Patrick Jones II — and 12 quarterback hits. Van Ginkel had two hits, one sack and one pass defensed to go with his spectacular interception that thwarted a quick throw toward the flat by Jones.
Center Garrett Bradbury and right guard Ed Ingram had their hands full against Giants standout Dexter Lawrence II. The two-time Pro Bowl pick had a sack and a hit on Sam Darnold that altered the quarterback's arm motion and sent the ball straight up in the air for an easy interception. Bradbury also had a holding penalty in the first quarter that erased an 11-yard run by Aaron Jones on first down.
Darnold had an unflappable debut, completing his first 12 passes and directing an 11-play, 99-yard drive for a touchdown that gave the Vikings a 14-3 lead midway through the second quarter. Darnold's best work on that possession was a 44-yard strike to Justin Jefferson along the left sideline on second-and-12.
"He's a talented player, and he can make big-time throws," O'Connell said. "Every throw we're going to ask him to make, he's more than capable of doing that."
FB C.J. Ham lost a fumble during a third-down reception that ended the first possession for the Vikings at their own 20, setting up a field goal for the Giants. The Vikings not only were tied for the second-worst ratio in the NFL last season (minus-12), they had opening-drive turnovers in five of their first 11 games.
WR Jordan Addison left the game in the third quarter with an injury to his right ankle, after being sidelined for the last two weeks of training camp by a sprained left ankle. Addison was experiencing "pretty significant soreness" on Monday, O'Connell said, but the Vikings will give him an opportunity to play this week if he makes enough progress with treatment.
"We'll see how it goes," O'Connell said. "He's responded in the past pretty quickly with a similar injury."
3.53 — The average net yards allowed per play by the Vikings, their second-best mark in 36 games under O'Connell. The only one better (3.41) came in a 21-13 victory at Carolina on Oct. 1, 2023. The Vikings also had a defensive touchdown in that game.
The Vikings start their home schedule with a significant challenge: consecutive games against San Francisco and Houston. The Vikings beat the 49ers at home last season, with Darnold backing up San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy on the way to the Super Bowl.