New York Giants signal-caller Daniel Jones is currently dealing with a firestorm of ridicule from the team's fan base and the local media after he was made to look like a backup high-school quarterback by the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
In their Week 1 win over the Giants this past weekend, the Vikings sacked Jones five times and generated a total of 26 pressures. To the surprise of some, Minnesota was still able to pressure the New York quarterback at a high rate on Sunday despite a significant switch in strategy made by Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
The Minnesota Star Tribune's Ben Goessling revealed on Monday that Minnesota only blitzed on 22.4 percent of Jones's dropbacks this weekend, much lower than the 51.5 percent blitz rate that the Vikings had last season under Flores. Most of the top defenses in the NFL are able to generate pressure without relying too much on blitzing and this is exactly what Minnesota excelled at on Sunday.
Will the Minnesota Vikings defense continue to blitz at a lower rate after win over New York Giants?
It was only one game, so it's difficult to predict whether or not Minnesota will continue to rely on the blitz less than they did last season. At the very least, Flores has proof that his defense can still be successful without feeling the need to blitz at an extremely high rate.
Unlike last year, the Vikings defense features players that are better fits for the type of scheme that Flores wants to run. Minnesota's pass rushers aren't guys with massive size, but they're smart, quick, and they win their battles with the opposing offensive line more often than not.
It's very possible that the Vikings' defensive approach to their Week 1 matchup had a lot to do with the Giants not having a talented offensive line. Against teams with a better group of five up front, we could potentially see Flores go back to blitzing at a higher rate in order to generate pressure.
Week 2 could provide some answers as Minnesota has to take the San Francisco 49ers, who have an offensive line that is, at the very least, better than whatever New York had on the field on Sunday.