The Minnesota Vikings defeated the Green Bay Packers 39-22 on Sunday, but the victory came with its share of concerns. Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray suffered a concussion in the first quarter and missed the rest of the game, while Brian Flores’ defense struggled early against Packers quarterback Jordan Love, who connected on multiple chunk plays, including an 81-yard touchdown to wide receiver Christian Watson.

What mattered by the final whistle was how Minnesota’s pressure eventually caught up to Love. The pressures mounted and impacted Love significantly more as the game went on, allowing the Vikings were able to get home with sacks and turnovers.

Brian Flores’ blitz rate

Within the context of those numbers, it showcased how crazy Flores is with blitzing. The Vikings blitzed Love on 40 of 46 dropbacks, sacking him four times and holding him to 50% completions. Green Bay still managed 387 passing yards, an astronomical number that included two touchdowns, all of which came against the blitz. The one fascinating element of Love’s game was that he did not grade for a single big-time throw per Pro Football Focus. He also had three turnover-worthy plays, including his interception to cornerback James Pierre and the strip sack by Andrew Van Ginkel.

Where things get particularly telling is the fact that within those 46 dropbacks, the Vikings generated 31 pressures on Love, and he was pressured on 25 of those dropbacks. That means multiple pressures came on several pass plays, including the strip sack where three defenders met Love in the pocket, and linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel ended up getting the strip sack on his own.

Generating 31 pressures per Pro Football Focus is a massive number, and it created a clear impact. When Love was pressured, he completed just 8 of 21 passes for 166 yards and an interception. When the blitzes didn’t get home, Love crushed the Vikings: 13 of 21, 221 yards, and two touchdowns. Pressure still matters when it comes to how the Vikings find success on defense, and that resonated again against Green Bay.

Dallas Turner’s pressure rate

I can’t say enough good things about Dallas Turner. Over the course of the offseason, I led an extensive discussion about how he was ready to take a big leap and take over Jonathan Greenard’s role. Was he going to be great immediately? It wouldn’t have been surprising if it took him a game or two to really elevate and take a big step forward. The Vikings got the best from him immediately, and it didn’t take long for that to occur.

Turner finished the game with 10 pressures per NextGenStats, and seven of them came with a quarterback hit. He also had a sack late in the fourth quarter on an attempted fake reverse. He was in the backfield all game long against the Packers. In the first half, he was consistently disruptive, and his pressure rate of 27.2% per Pro Football Focus is one of the highest marks you will see all year from a player who played over 50 snaps.

Turner was winning with speed, technique, and power against both Jordan Morgan and Zach Bako-Bewele. The athleticism and strength profile paired with the technique are finally in sync with each other, and he is going to be a wrecking ball over the course of the season.

Blake Cashman’s elite blitzing

One of the elements the Vikings have leaned on since the 2024 season has been linebacker Blake Cashman. When he’s played, he has made a massive difference for Minnesota, both in coverage and as a pass rusher. Per Pro Football Focus, Cashman had six pressures on just 18 pass rush attempts. All of them were quick pressures, getting to the quarterback in a hurry and impacting Love quickly.

The Vikings love to use cross dog blitzes to get to the quarterback, having one linebacker cross over the center while the other loops around. Cashman continues to thrive in that scheme and showcases why the Vikings gave him a big contract coming off of that one strong year in Houston. If he continues this level of production, it may be smart for Minnesota to give him another big contract after the season.