Vikings EDGE Dallas Turner’s breakout game is what we expected all along under Brian Flores
The Minnesota Vikings’ selection of Dallas Turner wasn’t always viewed highly by the fanbase, but it certainly feels better after Sunday.
The emergence of Minnesota Vikings edge rusher Dallas Turner was something that they needed going into the season.
During the NFL Draft, the Vikings chose to trade edge rusher Jonathan Greenard for multiple third-round picks. Not only was the value rough, but it wasn’t necessarily the best route for the Vikings to take. What it did do was vault him into the starting lineup. Could he live up to his potential? Well, he certainly did early on, and it started with defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ blitz-heavy game plan.
Brian Flores’ blitz philosophy created the opportunities
One of the most fascinating aspects of how Flores attacks quarterbacks plays out on a multitude of levels. Flores is a heavy blitzer, and he will blitz anybody at any time for any reason. It does not matter if you are the best quarterback in the NFL or a backup. The more he blitzes you, the less he respects your ability to beat him. His philosophy is very aggressive, and it works.
When you look at the first half versus the second half, Jordan Love was significantly better early. He found chunk plays, including an 81-yard slant route to wide receiver Christian Watson where the Vikings took a couple of egregious angles, similar to the DK Metcalf touchdown from last season. Love also connected on a 42-yard dig route to Matthew Golden, stepping up in the pocket against pressure from Jalen Redmond and Turner to fire a missile downfield.
The best way to beat Flores is to hold still in the pocket and fire downfield, catching the defense in blitz looks and taking advantage with strikes. The Packers have done a relatively good job of that over the years, but the in-between plays are where Flores gets you. That’s the risk the Vikings take. If you struggle to get home, defenses can gash the back end. The first half reflected that reality.
The second half told a different story. Minnesota allowed just 3 points and forced multiple Love turnovers, including an interception caught by James Pierre that nearly gave safety Harrison Smith his 40th career interception. Andrew Van Ginkel added a strip sack that gave the Vikings the ball inside the 5-yard line, setting up a Jordan Mason touchdown on the first play from scrimmage.
Why does this matter when talking about Turner? Simple: it helps unleash him.
Turner is proving the doubters wrong
There were plenty of people who complained about the selection of Turner when the Vikings made it. The trade-up from 42 to 23 cost two second-round picks and a sixth, but that move wasn’t made with Turner in mind. Minnesota wanted Drake May, and it’s been widely reported that former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was aggressive in trying to acquire him. If that had worked, things look a lot different in Minnesota. The first trade’s draft capital shouldn’t be attributed to Turner because the Vikings didn’t make that trade with him in mind.
If you want to argue that trading third, fourth, and fifth-round picks over the course of 2 drafts to move from 23 to 17 to select Turner was too expensive, that’s completely fair. However, the Vikings drafted a 21-year-old over Jared Verse, who debuted at 23 years and 10 months old. Turner is 23 years and 7 months old right now and still younger than Verse was when he entered the league. That’s a big part of this discussion.
According to Pro Football Focus, Turner had more pressures in a single game than Verse ever has, with those 9 against the Packers on Sunday. He also had the same number of sacks as Verse by the time he debuted in the NFL at nearly 24 years old. Turner turns 24 on February 2nd.
From an overall production standpoint, Verse has been a little better, but he should be. He’s more than 2 years older than Turner, and he came in with an NFL-ready body. The idea of what Turner could become under Flores is the reason the Vikings took him.
The physical transformation changed everything
Turner needed time to develop an NFL body. He entered the league at 247 pounds without the requisite strength, still growing into his frame. He now looks to be about 255 to 260 pounds; the strength is there, and his athleticism, quickness, and speed haven’t waned at all. He’s also developed real pass rush moves, and having those in his bag manifested in a massive way on Sunday.
Last season, Turner was getting slow pressures and cleanups, which is fine for a young edge rusher. The criticism heading into this year centered on whether he could generate quick pressure. According to NextGenStats, Turner had 7 pressures within 2.5 seconds against the Packers, tied for the league lead in Week 1 with teammate Blake Cashman. He was getting to the quarterback fast. He destroyed Zach Bako-Bewele on the right side and blew up Jordan Morgan on the left. It didn’t matter which side he lined up on because Turner was a force.
Turner also dropped into coverage 5 times and looked fluid doing it. With his 34.5-inch arms and his combination of quickness and speed, his versatility will confuse offenses. Van Ginkel dropped 15 times and will remain the primary coverage dropper, but Turner’s ability to do so adds another layer to Flores’ scheme.
The pressure is only going to spread
As much as we’d love it, Turner won’t record 9 pressures every week. Defenses will adjust, prioritizing doubles and chips against him, which will be big for his teammates. That’s when players like Redmond, Levi Drake Rodriguez, who had a sack, and Van Ginkel, who had a sack and a half plus the strip sack, will start feasting. Once those players get theirs, the production balances out across the entire front.
That’s the reason one of the bold predictions heading into the season was the Vikings reaching 60 sacks. The pressure packages with this level of talent are going to be elite. Turner is already on a Pro Bowl trajectory, and there’s no reason to think it slows down. Having Theo Jackson on the field for that many snaps is something the Vikings will need to remedy, and Jay Ward not getting any snaps was a curious choice. Outside of a couple coverage busts, Minnesota’s defense did a great job, forcing field goals and limiting the Packers to just 2 touchdowns.
As long as the Vikings continue adjusting their pressure packages and finding ways to attack throughout the course of the year, this defense and Dallas Turner have a real chance to be very special.
