Brian Flores' game plan wreaked havoc on Bears QBs in win
CHICAGO — Last year when the Minnesota Vikings’ defense faced off with below average quarterbacks, you often wouldn’t have guessed they were anything less than Pro Bowlers.
Whether it was Mac Jones and Mike White clearing 400 yards against them in back-to-back weeks or Daniel Jones earning a mega contract extension off his over 600 yards passing in two matchups, anyone could be a star on a given Sunday vs. the Vikings. New defensive coordinator Brian Flores has changed that. His group befuddled rookie Bryce Young two weeks ago and caused Justin Fields and rookie Tyson Bagent to struggle from start to finish in the Vikings’ 19-13 victory.
Combined Fields and Bagent threw for 113 yards at 5.9 yards per attempt and they were sacked five times for 28 yards and threw two interceptions. It was their best performance against the pass since — you’ll never believe this — 2020 when they won 19-13 over the Bears at Soldier Field.
“We were switching looks up, you know [Flores] always has a great plan, so he called a great [game],” said linebacker Jordan Hicks, who had an interception and a fumble return for touchdown that proved to be the deciding score. “There were opportunities out there. Every week there have been opportunities out there and we haven’t capitalized. That went into the message that we focused on this week.”
The Vikings’ success on defense was centered around two things: Big plays and the fact they were able to slow down star receiver DJ Moore, who was limited to five receptions for 51 yards.
“We did a great job, when he was catching the ball we were making it physical on him,” Hicks said. “Pressure on the quarterback changes a lot and Flo[res] was dialing it up.”
Moore was coming off a 230-yard performance against Washington last week.
“For the most part we were able to limit some of those explosives that this offense has gotten going lately,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said.
The first of three game-changing plays by the defense came with under two minutes remaining in the first half. Kirk Cousins had just fumbled, giving the Bears the ball and a first down at the Minnesota 35-yard line. After a 7-yard complete pass, Danielle Hunter hit Fields, causing the ball to fly up in the air and land in the hands of Hicks.
“He’s always a huge part of the game plan going into it, trying to get him the best matchup possible and it showed,” Hicks said of Hunter. “He’s a dominant player. He’s out there making plays because he gets his hand on the ball. It’s who he is. He’s a game-wrecker.”
The Vikings scored a touchdown on the following possession, making it at least a 10-point swing play.
In the second half after Fields went down with a hand injury, safety Josh Metellus strip-sacked Bagent and Hicks picked the ball up and ran uncontested for a touchdown that gave the Vikings a 19-6 lead.
“It made me feel young,” Hicks joked. “It feels good to be a part of a team that’s finding our identity, finding our culture, we had some celebrations out there — shoutout to rookies NaJee [Thompson] and Ivan [Pace Jr.] for that. We are having fun out there.”
The other explosive defensive play came in the form of Byron Murphy Jr.’s game-ending interception, which ended a push from the Bears offense that had them in position to potentially win the game. Bagent underthrew Moore and Murphy Jr. grabbed the ball before the receiver could come back to it.
“He's been huge,” O’Connell said of Murphy Jr. “Really somebody that I'm so, so happy that we've got him here and he's really assumed a heck of a role for us…We ask him to play outside, we ask him to go inside and sub, but the leadership kind of reminiscent of a Jordan Hicks as far as a guy that just continuously does his job. He's tough, dependable, and great moment right there for him, and it was great to give him a game ball after the game.”
The Vikings defense mixed up personnel in the game, getting Andrew Booth Jr. and Brian Asamoah on the field as well as Khyiris Tonga, who had been inactive in recent weeks. They needed stops from everyone along the way to hold Chicago to 13 points and keep the season alive with a defensive win.
The defense will have a huge challenge as they face an explosive 49ers offense this week on Monday Night Football. They will enter the game with a high mark in confidence, starting with their DC’s ability to cause problems for less experienced quarterbacks.
