Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers offense will have a daunting task on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings defense, which is led by Brian Flores. Flores, who was with the Steelers as a senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach in 2022, is one of the most innovative defensive minds in the game.
Through three games, the Vikings rank sixth in total defense and are No. 3 in pass defense. The Vikings lead the NFL with seven forced fumbles.
“They’re going to bring pressure at some point. You have to have some ideas to combat that,” Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said of Flores’ defense. “You got to expect it. They do a good job of disguising it, everything looks the same. You don’t want them to get going and sack you a bunch and play behind the sticks.”
Vikings cornerback Isaiah Rodgers had a pick-six and scoop and score in the Vikings’ 48-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. He also had a forced fumble. Rodgers credits the Vikings’ aggressive defense and turnover culture to Flores.
“It’s Flo’s defense. He’s a phenomenal coach,” Rodgers said. “He was (in Pittsburgh) a few years ago. It’s good to see him in a position of leadership. Hopefully, he probably should, at some point get another head coaching job based off the way that he’s coached defense the last couple of years. The schemes that he runs and they way they’re coach, there’s a lot of good chemistry on that side. It doesn’t just come from players, there’s a schematic approach there that is really impressive and the players obviously make it go once the call his made.”
Has an NFL defense ever disguised like this?
They go from an all-out blitz look. To a man coverage look. To a Tampa 2 look. To playing what looks like Quarters on one side and C2 on the other.
Just diabolical stuff. pic.twitter.com/qH5Ggd1jnQ
— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) September 22, 2025
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin also praised Flores during his weekly Tuesday press conference.
“I thought he did a successful job of it the first time around,” Tomlin said Tuesday at his weekly news conference.
“His willingness to learn is a really attractive component of coach Flores,” Tomlin said. “We had some awesome discussions during our time together. He certainly has opinions, schematic opinions, strategic opinions, personnel opinions. His openness to different thoughts and viewpoints is a weapon for him as a coach.”
Tomlin is familiar with Flores’ defensive schemes, but that won’t give the Steelers an upper hand on Sunday.
“It doesn’t make the preparation process or playing against it any less difficult,” Tomlin said. “He’s very multiple in his schemes and thoughtful. He attacks protections from a passing game perspective and does it very well.”
Like Rodgers, Tomlin also thinks Flores deserves to be an head coach in the NFL.
“I thought he did a successful job of it the first time around,” Tomlin said.
Flores was fired...
