The Minnesota Vikings opened the season with a 39-22 win over the Green Bay Packers, and Brian Flores’ defense had plenty to do with it. Now comes a different kind of challenge in Week 2, with another NFC North opponent waiting in the Chicago Bears.
ESPN analyst Ben Solak sees that matchup as a bad one for Minnesota. In his view, Ben Johnson’s offense has been Flores’ “kryptonite.”
“I think ... Ben Johnson is Brian Flores' kryptonite," Solak writes. "Across six matchups, Johnson's team is 5-1 -- the only loss was last season's opener and Williams' first start in Johnson's offense."
That’s a strong claim, but Solak points to the numbers to back it up. Flores’ Vikings defense is known as one of the toughest units in football, and the heavy blitzing is a big reason why. It’s the kind of pressure that can rattle quarterbacks and create turnovers or stall drives before they get rolling.
Johnson, though, has repeatedly found answers. Against the Vikings, his offenses have posted a 0.07 EPA per play, while every other team has sat at minus-0.04 against Minnesota’s defense. That gap tells the story Solak is making.
The rest of the split is just as striking. Johnson’s teams have produced a 45.9% success rate, 2.32 points per drive, a 15.3% explosive play rate, and a 36.9% first-down and touchdown rate against the Vikings.
By comparison, every other offense has managed a 41.8% success rate, 1.77 points per drive, a 12.7% explosive play rate, and a 27.8% first-down-and-touchdown rate against Flores’ group.
And the Bears are coming in hot. They put up 59 points against the Carolina Panthers to start the season, which only adds more intrigue to this Week 2 showdown.
So the Vikings may have a real test on their hands. Johnson and Chicago could prove to be Flores’ “kryptonite,” or Minnesota could move to 2-0 by shutting down what might be the NFL’s best offense.
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