Considered significant underdogs for the second week in a row, the Minnesota Vikings have their work cut out for them when Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens visit U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday.
Nine of NFL.com’s 10-member panel picked the Ravens to win Sunday. The lone Vikings loyalist was Daniel Jeremiah, who has the Vikings squeaking out a one-point win against a Ravens team that was ravaged by injury but has a clean bill of health entering the game.
To make matters worse, the Vikings are facing a daunting trend against Jackson, who is 24-3 all-time against NFC teams.
However, the Vikings may have Jackson’s cryptonite at their disposal.
How Can Vikings Stop Lamar Jackson? Brian Flores Seems to Have a Solution
Acknowledging Jackson’s pristine record against the NFC, ESPN’s Kevin Seifert offered some solace for Minnesota.
“Ravens QB Lamar Jackson has a 24-3 career record against NFC teams, but the Vikings have an experienced counterbalance. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores coached against Jackson twice when he was the Dolphins‘ head coach.” Seifert wrote. “In the second matchup, during the 2021 season, Flores blitzed Jackson on 52.1% of his dropbacks and held the Ravens’ offense to 10 points.”
There is a caveat to that strategy. This year’s Vikings have struggled when Flores has played too aggressively.
“That doesn’t mean he’ll choose the same path Sunday. In 2025, the Vikings’ worst defensive games have come with their highest blitz rates,” Seifert added.
Through nine weeks, the Vikings are blitzing at the second-highest rate in the NFL (40.6%). It’s amounted to Minnesota also tying for the highest pressure rate (30.7) in the league.
Flustering Jackson in the pocket is one thing, but stopping him and Derrick Henry on the ground may be the bigger challenge for the Vikings.
Vikings Run Defense Has Its Hands Full With Ravens
The Vikings run defense has been boom or bust this year.
Minnesota has allowed 65 or fewer yards three times this season. This includes stout performances against teams with talented backfields like the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles.
But outside of those games, the Vikings have allowed 163 yards per game in their other five games. This average includes games against the Chicago Bears (5th in yards per attempt; 4.9), Atlanta Falcons (14th; 4.4), Pittsburgh Steelers (29th; 3.8), Cleveland Browns (28th; 3.8) and Los Angeles Chargers (8th; 4.8).
The Ravens may be the toughest test for the Vikings run defense yet, averaging the second-most yards per attempt (5.2) in the league.
The good news is the Vikings defense looked renewed with the return of outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel. While Van Ginkel is known for his pass-rushing prowess and coverage instincts, he proved to be an asset in the running game against the Lions, earning the highest run defense grade at his position in Week 10, per Pro Football Focus.
It seemed like every player on the Vikings defense rose to expectations in Detroit, a byproduct of everyone fitting a clear defined role with Van Ginkel back in the lineup.
However, it’s still going to be an uphill battle against a Ravens team that has averaged 31.8 points per game with Jackson active.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Vikings Facing Concerning Lamar Jackson Trend Ahead of Ravens Game appeared first on Heavy Sports.