This season has turned completely sideways for the Minnesota Vikings, as the team finds itself with a 4-8 record and on the verge of elimination from the playoff hunt.
Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores has been one of the bright spots for the team, keeping his unit from crumbling this season. A perfect example of this is despite what looks like an ugly 26-0 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 13, Flores' defense performed as well as they could have.
Too many times, the Vikings' defense was set up with bad field position after the offense had five turnovers (one of them was returned for a touchdown), leaving the defensive unit to try to save the day. Seattle managed only 219 yards of offense, and the Vikings forced two fumbles in the loss.
A lot of praise has to be given to Flores for the job he did coaching the team, but in the end. performances like these might set the Vikings' franchise back years if they are not careful.
Brian Flores might not be long for Minnesota Vikings after the season
Minnesota is facing a nightmare situation: Flores is in the final year of his contract with the Vikings. That means there could be a team out there looking for a new head coach or defensive coordinator that might be ready to outbid the Vikings for Flores' services.
This season, the Vikings are ranked 10th in total defense, allowing just 306.8 yards per game. The strength of the defense lies in the secondary, which has been ranked fifth in the league in passing yards allowed per game at 178.4.
Where the defense would like to see some improvement is going up against the run and creating turnovers. The unit has allowed over 128 rushing yards per game and has only made 11 turnovers this season.
At some point, Flores is not going to be patient with the Vikings' offense trying to figure out what to do at quarterback, and he may want to go elsewhere. Flores will no doubt be a candidate for a head coaching job, or at least find himself as one of the highest-paid coordinators in the NFL.
When he was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, Flores did good things with the team, going 24-25 in his career. It was his last two years that were impressive as he went 19-14, but never made the postseason.
For someone who has a top 10 defense on a 4-8 team, Flores should be up for awards as an assistant. The Vikings have to do everything they can to make sure he doesn't leave if he isn't offered a head coaching job.