When the Detroit Lions travel to U.S. Bank Stadium to meet the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Lions quarterback Jared Goff will be dealing with a defense like no other in the NFL, though led by a defensive coordinator in Brian Flores who has had Goff’s number through several different teams and defensive iterations.
The last time Goff faced a defense created by Flores, it was November 1, 2020. Goff was the Los Angeles Rams’ quarterback, and Flores was the Miami Dolphins’ head coach and defensive shot-caller. And in the end, it was an absolute nightmare for Goff. Flores threw all kinds of blitzes and coverages at him, but Miami’s Cover-0 blitzes specifically drove Goff nuts — and into the throes of a 28-17 loss. Goff attempted 61 passes in that game, completing 35 of 61 passes for 355 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, two fumbles (one of which was returned for a touchdown), and a passer rating of 65.9.
The time before that was Super Bowl LIII at the end of the 2018 season. Things were no better for Goff in that game. Then, Flores, the New England Patriots’ defensive coordinator, did a brilliant job of flipping his defenses at the 15-second mark of the play clock, when head coach Sean McVay was no longer allowed to speak to Goff in his helmet headset. Goff completed 19 f 38 passes for 229 yards, no touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 57.9. The Patriots beat the Rams 10-3, and the Rams tied the Dolphins in Super Bowl VI for the lowest score in any Super Bowl.
Now, Goff has to solve a Flores defense that has planted its schematic identity at the four corners of the earth. This season, the Vikings have by far sent three or fewer rushers at the quarterback more than any other team, and they have by far sent six or more rushers more than any other team. The Vikings have also played the highest rate of Cover-0 in the league (12.1%), and they’ve played the highest rate of Cover-2 in the league (29.0%). Of course, the problem with Flores’ latest defense is that nothing post-snap is what it looked like pre-snap. Flores loves to muddy the picture with blitz looks that turn into drop-8 zone coverage, and he’s just as adept at showing you all-out blitzes that turn into two-high looks… and vice versa.
It’s a tough go for any offense right now, and given Goff’s history against Flores’ mastery, perhaps it’s a bit tougher.
In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys get into how the Lions can set Goff up for better success with the precision and spacing of their passing game in an offense where everybody is an alpha dog, but there’s no one featured player.
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You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os,” featuring all of Week 16’s biggest NFL matchups (including Lions-Vikings of course), right here:
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You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…
…and on Apple Podcasts.
Now, let’s review the previous Goff-Flores matchups, and how Goff might be able to finally bag his white whale.