As Caleb Williams prepares for the Brian Flores challenge in Week 11, the Vikings defense will be without a key starter on Sunday
The Minnesota Vikings will be without a key defensive piece on Sunday.
On Sunday, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams will be playing in his fourth career head-to-head matchup against Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores and will be looking to get his first win facing one of the league’s best defensive minds.
Previously, Williams referred to Flores as the “king of the Cover-0 blitz” but Flores switched up the script back in Week 1 the last time these two faced off in a chess-match against each other.
“I would say he’s probably one of the more challenging coaches that I’ve had to go against so far in my career,” Williams said of Flores. “…It’s a full mental test. Every single play, he challenges you to reach your full mental capacity.”
Who knows what to expect from Flores on Sunday but one thing’s for sure, this Bears offense has been humming the last two weeks and head coach Ben Johnson is operating his scheme to perfection with Williams running the show on the field. And Flores will be without one key piece in Week 11.
Vikings’ defense will be without Jonathan Greenard on Sunday against the Bears
The Vikings released the final injury report for Sunday’s game following Friday’s practice and ruled out two players: DE Jonathan Greenard and OL Ryan Kelly.
Greenard is the big name the Vikings defense will be missing in this matchup and someone who’s tormented Williams in the previous three matchups dating back to last season. This year, Greenard leads the Vikings with 36 total pressures and has totaled two sacks on the season.
To learn more about how big of a loss this will be for Minnesota’s defensive front and how Flores will adjust with the rest of his personnel, I spoke with Tyler Forness of A to Z Sports Minnesota.
“It’s no secret that Greenard is one of the best edge rushers in the NFL. He’s also the best defensive player on the Vikings roster. Where things are interesting with the Vikings is how they will play with Greenard out. The reality is that it won’t be too much different.
When Greenard left the game against the Baltimore Ravens in the third quarter, how they played defense didn’t change much. Dallas Turner coming in the game for him actually makes the defense more versatile with his ability to drop into coverage and play in space. That gives Brian Flores the ability to be diabolical with his simulated pressures. The amount of pressure that will be generated will decrease due to Greenard’s excellent penetration ability.” – Tyler Forness, A to Z Sports Minnesota
The lack of pressure Greenard brings will be a big problem for the home team in this game but opening up more opportunities for Dallas Turner actually gives Williams more trouble.
The Bears quarterback earned the nickname “Houdini” last week for his ability to escape out of sacks and extend plays. A versatile player like Turner setting the edge could be the Vikings key to keeping Williams in the pocket.
The chess-match between Williams and Flores has always been a must-watch matchup and we’ll see if Williams can take advantage of this loss and finally notch his first career win against Minnesota.
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