Brock: How Seahawks should attack blitz-happy Vikings
Dec 20, 2024, 8:05 AM
Geno Smith of the Seattle Seahawks is pressured during an Oct. 10, 2024 game. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The Seattle Seahawks’ offense is in for one of its toughest tests of the season this weekend as they host the Minnesota Vikings and their fourth-ranked scoring defense.
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The Vikings’ defense hasn’t just been one of the NFL’s stingiest units this season. It’s also been one of its most aggressive.
Minnesota defensive coordinator Brian Flores loves to dial up the pressure with blitzes. The Vikings have the second-highest blitz rate in the NFL this season and led the league under Flores a season ago.
“Flores is just committed to just an all-out assault, and there is no cause for concern, there is no worrying about what could go wrong,” NFL Network insider Daniel Jeremiah told Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk on Wednesday. “It is attack 100% of the way.”
That could spell trouble for a struggling offensive line that gave up a season-high seven sacks for the third time this season last week against the Green Bay Packers, who were able to put up that high sack total without much blitzing.
How should Seattle’s offense try to handle that pressure against Minnesota? Former NFL quarterback Brock Huard was asked that question Thursday during his Blue 88 segment on Brock and Salk.
Huard likened what the Vikings and Flores are doing to a play caller he is familiar with from his days playing in the NFL – and one Seahawks fans are familiar with from many key NFC clashes during the Pete Carroll era.
“The late Jim Johnson, he was in Philadelphia and his defenses with (Hall of Fame safety) Brian Dawkins and those guys were relentless. It was all-out assault and they had no fear,” Huard said. “Then it was riverboat Ron Rivera, and we watched that against the Seahawks with Carolina, which was just going to dial it up and going to bring Cover Zero and they’re going to be the aggressors.”
Huard acknowledged that finding a way to protect the quarterback is, of course, key. But just as important is the ability to land counterpunches to Minnesota’s aggressive defense.
“The one thing you cannot do is cower against it,” Huard said. “In Indy (with the Colts and Peyton Manning), we blocked it up and took our shots. And if you remember in that playoff game (between the Seahawks and Panthers in 2015) where Russell I think had a perfect QB rating, you block it up and there were times he took shots.”
“… If they’re going to try to assault you, you can’t be there in the corner with your hands up and your gloves in your face taking those shots. That means there’s going to be opportunity on the back end of that sucker to go make some explosive plays. You should be licking your chops.”
Listen to the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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