Minnesota Vikings defense enters historic territory after dominant performance vs. New York Giants

Brian Flores’ defense is entering historic territory, as the Minnesota Vikings haven’t allowed a passing touchdown since the Baltimore Ravens game.

Tyler Forness NFL & College Football News Writer
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Dec 21, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Minnesota Vikings outside linebacker Andrew van Ginkel (43) reacts after a tackle against the New York Giants during the second half at MetLife Stadium.
Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Vikings are currently 7-8 in the 2025 season, and it’s mainly due to their defense.

Defensive coordinator Brian Flores‘ unit is one of the best in the NFL. They are eighth in the league in EPA/play and third in EPA/dropback. They get after the quarterback and make things incredibly difficult for their opponent. The team has 40 sacks on the season, just 9 behind last season’s number and allowed just 21.33 points per game.

Minnesota Vikings haven’t allowed a passing touchdown in six weeks

Sunday’s game against the New York Giants wasn’t just a good one; it was historic. It was the sixth-consecutive game they haven’t allowed a passing touchdown, which is the first time that has been accomplished since 1988 with the Cleveland Browns, and just the fifth time it’s happened in the modern era (post 1970 AFL/NFL merger).

For the overall perspective, the Vikings’ defense allowed just six touchdowns in that span, with two more coming on defensive scores. It’s a really impressive run for the Vikings’ defense, who have done a great job with a sixth-ranked EPA/play and fifth-ranked EPA/dropback in that span. Despite the offense struggling, Flores’ defense has been a monster and consistent across the board.

The biggest key has been the pass rush, with Flores calling numerous simulated pressures to confuse the opponent’s offensive line, which has continuously worked, including on Andrew Van Ginkel’s fourth-down sack of Jaxson Dart.

Now, you can argue that the Vikings have been somewhat lucky in their schedule, facing teams who love to run the ball and two really poor teams in the Giants and Washington Commanders. Even so, the Vikings doing this against NFL competition, especially with the Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, and Green Bay Packers in that group, is very impressive.

If the offense starts to match up with what the defense is doing, the Vikings could end the season on a five-game winning streak.