The Vikings defense is off to another great start this season. They rank 2nd in points allowed, 1st in sacks and pressure percentage, 4th against the run, 3rd in takeaways, and they’re the best unit in the NFL on 3rd down.
Pressure is the key to their success. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores once again leads the league in blitz frequency, bringing pressure 66% of the time according to Pro-Football-Reference.
And he does it on every down, using his blitz schemes to limit the run, create negative plays, and keeping opposing offenses from operating smoothly in general.
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There are so many different fronts and pressures you could choose to focus on in any Brian Flores game. Today, I’ll focus on his double-mug 4-man “pick” pressures that helped get 2 key sacks in the 4th quarter of a tight game against the Buccaneers.
On this first play, with the Vikings leading 17-13, the Buccaneers faced a 3rd-and-2 from their own 24-yard line. Below, you can see the “double-mug” look (linebackers threatening pressure in both A gaps):
You never know if defenders showing pressure in Flores’ scheme are going to rush, drop out, or read the protection and make their decision accordingly. But no matter what, offenses always have to account for potential pressure in the A gaps.
The Bucs chose to handle it here with a 3-man slide to their left to account for one of the A-gap linebackers and two down linemen. That left running back Kenny Gainwell responsible for the linebacker in the A-gap to his side:
The Vikings would end up rushing just 4, but it was the 4 defenders in the middle. Both defensive ends dropped out into coverage.
The two A-gap linebackers used a “pick” pressure, with Blake Cashman (#51) picking or blocking the center and Eric Wilson (#55) looping around him: