The best matchup within the best matchup of the NFL weekend features two coordinators who could soon be head coaches, but should stay put.
Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has beautifully melded old-school power football with an intricate modern passing system that has made Detroit not only a team you fear could beat you, but a team that you fear could embarrass you.
Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is becoming one of the league’s most famous assistant coaches as his group surges in effectiveness and unpredictability.
Which will win the day on Sunday: Johnson’s geometry or Flores’ alchemy?
Flores will send exotic blitzes, and schemes that look like blitzes but aren’t, against an accomplished veteran quarterback (Jared Goff) and an excellent offensive coach with a half-dozen outstanding skill position players at his disposal.
This matchup is remindful of the ‘90s, when Vikings defensive coordinator Tony Dungy built one of the league’s best defenses and went head-to-head with Packers coach and passing-game guru Mike Holmgren.
Like Dungy, Flores has made himself a head coach in waiting. Like Dungy, Flores faces obstacles beyond his control.
Dungy was trying to become a head coach at a time when there just weren’t many Black head coaches. Flores is dealing with the same institutional biases while he’s also suing the league, which many of the owners who will soon be hiring coaches probably don’t appreciate.
