I’ve watched the most recent games of the opponents, focusing on specific areas: touchdowns, deep passes, turnovers, sacks, and explosive runs. Think of it less as a prediction piece and more as a scouting report. Each week, I’ll publish two articles on the opponent’s offense and defense to give a picture of what the Eagles will be up against.
Defense
If you’re a fan of defensive football, this is the game to watch. The Vikings’ defense, run by Brian Flores, is one of the most fascinating units in the league right now. It’s not particularly stacked with elite individual talent, but it’s as well-coached and well-drilled as any defense in football.
They’re currently ranked #1 in the NFL in overall defensive EPA (-0.20) and #1 against the pass (-0.42 EPA per play). That’s… pretty good. They do it through scheme, disguise, and chaos. Flores’s defense plays fast and makes quarterbacks think slowly. Let’s take a closer look at how they play, where they’re vulnerable, and how the Eagles might attack them.
Touchdowns Allowed
You’d think that with the amount of rotation, movement, and disguise Flores uses, there’d be busts and communication errors leading to easy scores. There aren’t. You barely ever see them on film. They have given up only one touchdown of more than 10 yards, and the ones they have given up are short throws or runs in the red zone. Flores’s structure is airtight near the goal line, but if teams get down there by pounding the ball, they’ve got a shot.
Explosive Passes Allowed
Teams do not throw against them downfield. It’s pretty remarkable. I always start by watching throws of 20+ air yards, and there’s barely any on film. Teams just aren’t testing them down the field. Quarterbacks seem terrified to hold onto the ball or not trust what they are seeing.
They’re constantly rotating, showing single-high pre-snap, bailing into Cover 2 or Tampa 2 post-snap, bluffing zero, and dropping linebackers into underneath windows. It’s beautiful chaos. It looks absurd on film at times, but it works!
Against this defense, I’d go simple: throw outside the numbers. If they want to rotate and disguise, fine. Let them go mad. Line up A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith outside, isolate them, and make it a one-on-one game. It’s hard to disguise what you are doing outside the numbers.
Caleb Williams had some success down the field because he used hard counts to get the safeties to tip their hand. If Hurts can use cadence, motion, or a late shift to reveal their structure, the offense can hit seams before the rotation closes.
Against this defense, I’d go simple: throw outside the numbers. If they want to rotate and disguise, fine — you can’t disguise a go ball. Line up A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith outside, isolate them, and make it a one-on-one game.
4. Sacks
This is where Flores and this defense are at their very best. The Vikings are 2nd in blitz rate, but you never know who’s coming. They’ll line up six or seven at the line, bluff a full-on zero blitz, and then drop half of them while bringing pressure from the opposite side. They’ll rush three and drop eight on one play, then bring seven the next. At times, it looks ridiculous, but they rarely bust or leave wide-open receivers down the field. It’s so impressive!
Javon Hargrave, Dallas Turner, and Jonathan Greenard (the main pass rushers) have looked excellent at getting after the quarterback. Hargrave, in particular, is still winning consistently on stunts and inside rushes. The design gives them free rush lanes, even when only four come.
The film is wild. What is this?! Quarterbacks simply don’t know what they’re looking at. By the time they process it, the pocket’s gone. They only rush 4 on this play! I will mention this a lot in the thread, but I would be terrified about throwing quick slants as hot routes. You have to be so careful a linebacker isn’t dropping into the spot you are throwing it to.
The Eagles’ offensive line communication will be tested. Even though Minnesota doesn’t have elite sack totals, its structure causes breakdowns in protection and forces quarterbacks to hold onto the football. I have to admit, I loved watching this defense. How fun is this?
Turnovers Created
The craziest thing about Flores’s defense is that despite all the chaos, they haven’t generated many takeaways. Just two interceptions all season, both against Jake Browning, and not a ton of forced fumbles either.
I bet that will change, though. The disguises are working, but quarterbacks are often too confused to even attempt passes that risk picks. They aren’t even going down the field. The Vikings love to fake pressure, drop linebackers into the middle, and bait hot throws. As I said earlier, Hurts must avoid quick slants unless he’s absolutely sure they’re blitzing. The inside linebackers will show blitz and then drop right under the throw. They won’t run backwards at the snap; they will run forward like they are blitzing and then drop into coverage at the last minute.
Quarterbacks can’t get a consistent read on what they are doing because the defense is so multiple. Jake Browning looked completely lost against them.
If Hurts tries to throw hot into the middle of the disguise, it’s a pick waiting to happen. If he holds onto the ball waiting for something to clear, the rush will get home. I know a lot of fans won’t like the simplicity of this, but I would just take my shots outside the numbers. I would throw a lot of go balls to AJ Brown. It’s time to see that connection bounce back. I would keep things as simple as possible for Hurts.
Explosive Runs Allowed
This is where the Eagles must win the game. The Vikings are 25th in rush EPA allowed and 24th in yards allowed (132 per game). The film backs it up. They’re light upfront, overly aggressive, and poor at setting the edge.
Flores plays a lot of two-high looks, often leaving light boxes. The safeties take poor angles downhill and Theo Jackson (26), in particular, has been a weak spot, missing tackles and losing contain. I would often try to run towards his side.
Multiple explosive runs have come from outside zone and counter concepts, where Flores’ upfield rushers get trapped and the second level is slow to fill. You can move their interior (Hargrave gets pushed back at times), and the defense has struggled to set the edge. The Vikings’ effort and rotation are great against the pass, but that same movement and late disguise in the secondary leaves them vulnerable to gap runs and physical downhill football.
If the Eagles commit to the run, and I mean really commit, this defense can be beaten. This is the week for 20+ carries for Saquon Barkley and a steady dose of power and counter. The one thing you can’t do is drop back 30 times against this defense.
Final Thoughts
This defense is elite schematically and exceptionally well-coached. Brian Flores deserves all the praise he’s getting. His rotations are constant, the coverage rules are complex, and his players execute them flawlessly. It’s awesome to watch.
But it’s also a defense built on disguise. You don’t beat it by outsmarting it. You beat it by simplifying the game for everyone on offense. Run the ball, throw outside the numbers, and stay patient.
If the Eagles can do that and get the ground game going, they can force the Vikings to respect the run and pick their moments for deep shots down the field. You cannot get into 3rd and long against this defense because the Eagles will not be able to handle it. They must win on early downs and stay ahead of the sticks.
This one has “grind it out” written all over it. Hurts may not post big passing numbers, but if the Eagles run the ball well, I have some faith this offense can bounce back. If the offense is not significantly improved from last week, though, this could get ugly.
Thank you for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to comment below and ask any questions. If you enjoyed this piece, you can find more of my work and podcast here. If you would like to support me further, please check out my Patreon here!
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