https://ftnfantasy.com/nfl/2025-defense-by-number-of-pass-rushers-the-vikings-go-nuts
I put this in the FA Thread, but it should probably go here as well. I'll directly highlight just how different our defense is likely to look next season.
Sending 3 or fewer rushers at the QB:
- Vikings = 2.5% of snaps
- Commanders = 4.0% of snaps
Sending 4 rushers at the QB:
- Vikings = 51.6% of snaps
- Commanders = 69.4% of snaps
Sending 5 rushers:
- Vikings = 30.8%
- Commanders = 21.8%
Sending 6 or more rushers:
- Vikings = 15.1%
- Commanders = 4.8%
The Joe Whitt defense (+whatever playcalls it became later with Quinn) was fairly average in how passive/aggressive they were at rushing the QB. The Flores Viking defense was extremely aggressive.
How the Vikings and Commanders rushed 4 at the QB can also be split apart here.
- Vikings "blitzed" 51.2% of plays, but only sent extra rushers on 45.9% of all blitzes. So 5.3% of the time the Vikings rushed a linebacker/safety/corner and replaced them with a Edge/DT in coverage
- Commanders "blitzed" on 26.8% of plays, but only sent extra rushers 26.6% of all blitzers. So 0.2% of the time the Commanders had a 4 man rush with an Edge/DT dropping into coverage.
What about when nobody blitzes, it's the 4 man rush, but the defense is lining up as if to blitz. Simulated Pressure here.
- Vikings 12.1%
- Commanders 5.3%
I believe the simulated pressure can be added to the "blitzed" rate to convey total % of snaps that the Vikings defense has guys appearing to attack the LoS pre-snap or actually doing so post-snap.
- 63.3% of Vikings snaps look to show (or actually are) pressure focused
- 32.1% of Commanders snaps were like that
That's almost literally double the rate we watched last season. Our defense is going to be so unbelievably different in how it looks and operates. There's a chance this defense really needed Sonny Styles to fall to #7 in order to make it function.
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