Minnesota Vikings 2025 Defense Bold Predictions: Pass rush takes massive step forward, while one position group won’t be an issue if they stay healthy
Brian Flores is going to have a field day with this defense.
The Minnesota Vikings have their season debut on Monday Night Football against the Chicago Bears.
When it comes to the defense, there are quite a few things that stood out about Brian Flores’ unit last year. They were the fifth-ranked scoring defense and often forced teams to be one-dimensional, which is a big reason why their pass defense looked as poor as it did.
Things are going to be really interesting with Flores’ unit this season, including the growth of multiple young players.
Minnesota Vikings Defense Bold Predictions
Last season, I made four bold predictions on the Vikings’ defense, and all four of them ended up being incorrect. However, one was close to hitting on one, getting the player wrong.
- Levi Drake Rodrigues will lead the defensive line in sacks
- Dallas Turner will have multiple interceptions
- Josh Metellus will make the Pro Bowl
- Vikings will trade Stephon Gilmore at the deadline
This year, there are a wealth of different directions that I can go with these, and I believe these four have the highest chance to hit.
Minnesota Vikings Defense Bold Predictions
3 Vikings will register 10 plus sacks
Last season, the Vikings finished tied for fourth in the NFL in sacks with 49. The leaders for the Vikings in sacks were Jonathan Greenard (12.0) and Andrew Van Ginkel (11.5). Third place was Pat Jones II with 7.0 sacks, and the top defensive tackle was Harrison Phillips with 2.0 sacks. Of everything, the defensive tackle room had just 4.0 sacks in 2024, and that is likely to change in 2025 with Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave.
Where things get really interesting with this defense is how Brian Flores structures it. They don’t structure the unit as a whole around a singular player like a Myles Garrett or Micah Parsons but rather a more team oriented approach. That will allow multiple players to have opportunities to thrive and get production. Plus, the pressures each generates will likely lead to sacks for their teammates.
Cornerback won’t be a problem if the room stays healthy
The cornerback room is a fascinating group of players. On the active roster, there are just four cornerbacks: Byron Murphy Jr., Isaiah Rodgers, Jeff Okudah, and Dwight McGlothern. That’s a very shallow cornerback room for the Vikings, but the top three should be fine for how Flores likes to play, including Okudah, who is a faster version of Shaquill Griffin.
However, there isn’t much depth. Fabian Moreau, K’Von Wallace, and Zemaiah Vaughn are on the practice squad, but this unit would be a lot better if they had one more solid veteran, akin to what Griffin brought last year. That could end up coming quickly for the Vikings, especially if the first couple of games don’t go the way they want.
Vikings’ run defense will finish top 10
Last season, the Vikings’ rush defense was the second-best in the NFL, behind just the Baltimore Ravens. There are two really big reasons why the Vikings were so good against the run: securing big leads in games and having a defensive line with run stuffers. This year, they don’t have that defensive line, but they could still build some big leads with their firepower.
Second in the league isn’t going to happen again, but the entirety of the defense is still good enough to finish top 10, which would be slightly over 100 yards per game based on last year’s numbers. Blake Cashman and Ivan Pace Jr. are elite defenders against the run, and as long as they fit the run well, the Vikings will be in good shape. However, the loss of Phillips will be a massive one, as he did a great job two-gapping.
Defense will force 25+ turnovers
One of the most difficult things for defenses to do is repeat impressive seasons when it comes to turnovers. Last season the Vikings forced nearly two turnovers per game with 33. Turnovers themselves are very random, and it’s one element of football that can be considered lucky.
33 was the highest the Vikings had achieved since 2006 when they had 36. Asking the Vikings to average nearly two per game is tough, but there is likely to still be a level of success in this area, as Brian Flores’ defense is hyper-aggressive across the board, and is the biggest reason why they have been this successful in forcing turnovers.
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