Stats & Records
Minnesota Vikings Defense
A dedicated look at Minnesota's defense: verified 2025 season numbers, NFL rankings, a full weekly results log and how Brian Flores' unit approaches the game.
2025 Season · Final
Season-specific defensive metrics
Minnesota opened the 2026 season with a 39-22 home win over Green Bay on September 13, holding the Packers to 22 points. One game is not a meaningful defensive sample, so the figures below remain Minnesota's completed 2025 regular-season defensive totals (17 games; Week 6 was a bye). For the opener itself, see the Week 1 recap and box score; 2026 season totals will be more useful here as the season progresses.
Sources: total, passing and rushing defense figures match the 2025 team-category table on this site's Stats and Records hub, compiled from Minnesota Vikings official statistics. Points allowed, sacks and takeaway totals and NFL ranks compiled from ESPN and StatMuse season statistics. Minnesota finished the 2025 regular season 9-8, third in the NFC North, and did not make the playoffs.
Where Minnesota ranked
League comparisons, 2025 defense
Six defensive categories measured against all 32 NFL teams in 2025. Minnesota's pass defense and overall defense ranked among the league's best; its run defense and takeaway totals were more middle-of-the-pack.
NFL rank by category
Bar length shows rank position out of 32 NFL teams (longer = better rank). Values above are rounded to whole ranking positions.
Passing vs. rushing defense
| Category | Passing | Rushing |
|---|---|---|
| Yards allowed | 2,694 | 2,110 |
| Yards per game | 158.5 | 124.1 |
| NFL rank | 2nd | 21st |
Minnesota allowed more rushing yards per game than passing yards per game, but its pass defense ranked far higher leaguewide — opponents were held well below the NFL passing average.
2025 individual defensive leaders
| Category | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Tackles | Blake Cashman | 144 |
| Sacks | Dallas Turner | 8.0 |
| Interceptions | Josh Metellus, Byron Murphy and Harrison Smith | 2 |
| Forced fumbles | Dallas Turner and Eric Wilson | 4 |
Individual leader figures match this site's Stats and Records hub, sourced from Minnesota Vikings official statistics.
Week by week
2025 weekly defensive performance
Points allowed by week across Minnesota's 2025 regular season. Weekly team defensive-yardage and takeaway splits are not consistently itemized in public season records, so only verified, game-by-game results and points allowed are shown below — no per-week yardage or takeaway figures have been invented.
Points allowed per game, weeks 1–18
2025 regular season • Week 6 bye| Week | Opponent | Result | Score | Points allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | at Chicago Bears | W | 27–24 | 24 |
| 2 | vs Atlanta Falcons | L | 6–22 | 22 |
| 3 | vs Cincinnati Bengals | W | 48–10 | 10 |
| 4 | at Pittsburgh Steelers (Dublin) | L | 21–24 | 24 |
| 5 | at Cleveland Browns (London) | W | 21–17 | 17 |
| 6 | Bye week | |||
| 7 | vs Philadelphia Eagles | L | 22–28 | 28 |
| 8 | at Los Angeles Chargers | L | 10–37 | 37 |
| 9 | at Detroit Lions | W | 27–24 | 24 |
| 10 | vs Baltimore Ravens | L | 19–27 | 27 |
| 11 | vs Chicago Bears | L | 17–19 | 19 |
| 12 | at Green Bay Packers | L | 6–23 | 23 |
| 13 | at Seattle Seahawks | L | 0–26 | 26 |
| 14 | vs Washington Commanders | W | 31–0 | 0 |
| 15 | at Dallas Cowboys | W | 34–26 | 26 |
| 16 | at New York Giants | W | 16–13 | 13 |
| 17 | vs Detroit Lions | W | 23–10 | 10 |
| 18 | vs Green Bay Packers | W | 16–3 | 3 |
Minnesota's defense posted a shutout in Week 14 (0 points allowed vs Washington) and held two other opponents to single digits (Cincinnati, Green Bay in Week 18). Its worst outing was Week 8 at the LA Chargers (37 points allowed). Game log compiled from published 2025 schedule results; matches the opponents listed in this site's schedule navigation.
Coaching & scheme
Defensive analysis: Brian Flores' approach
Defensive Coordinator
Brian Flores
Brian Flores has served as the Minnesota Vikings' defensive coordinator since 2023, working under head coach Kevin O'Connell, and continues in that role heading into 2026. Before joining Minnesota he was the Miami Dolphins' head coach and, before that, a longtime defensive assistant with the New England Patriots.
Flores' Vikings defenses have been built around disguising fronts and coverages before the snap, mixing multiple personnel looks, and pressuring the quarterback with pre-snap movement and blitzes from unpredictable angles rather than a fixed base scheme. That identity is broadly consistent with the 2025 numbers above: a top-five sack total and a top-three total defense, alongside a middling takeaway rate.
Sources: Minnesota Vikings official coaching staff; Wikipedia, 2025 Minnesota Vikings season.
- Multiple frontsRegularly shifts between three- and four-man lines and varied sub-packages rather than staying in one base defense.
- Pressure-first identityKnown for aggressive, disguised blitz packages designed to speed up opposing quarterbacks.
- Result in 2025A top-5 NFL sack total (49.0) and top-3 total defense, with a league-average takeaway rate (21, 12th).
This is a general description of Flores' publicly reported defensive identity, not a play-by-play scheme breakdown, and it is not a quote from Flores or the Vikings organization.