One of the main reasons the Minnesota Vikings have found consistent success over the past two years is thanks to defensive coordinator Brian Flores. It’s not only Vikings fans who’ve recognized his brilliance—players around the league are taking notice, too.

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff has certainly noticed after facing Flores four times in the past two seasons. During an interview with Kay Adams promoting the new season of Quarterback on Netflix, Goff opened up about his respect for Flores.

“A ton (of respect), a ton. And I’ve been on the wrong side of his defense a lot, a lot of times,” Goff said. “And I’ve been on the right side of it too, where it’s been an immense challenge to try to overcome some of the things he does on defense, and when you’re able to do that and have success against his defense, you feel pretty proud of yourself the way you handle things, because there is so much going on.

But yeah, I think early in my career, he got me a couple of times, and the last couple of years, I’d say I’d have the upper hand. So we’re even now, and I got a few more games against him this year.”

Goff acknowledging Flores’ defensive genius shouldn’t come as a shock. The veteran quarterback has seen elite defenses since entering the league in 2016 as the No. 1 overall pick.

Watching Goff go up against Flores has been a compelling chess match. At times, Goff has picked apart the defense with quick throws and timely reads, especially in soft zone coverage. Other times, Flores has disrupted everything with his complex blitz schemes, leading to a dramatic drop—over 40 points—in Goff’s passer rating when pressured.

Even though Goff and the Lions won both meetings with Minnesota last year, Flores still gave him trouble, forcing two interceptions and causing two fumbles in those games.

Now with Minnesota’s defensive line improved and Detroit’s interior O-line weakened, Flores could gain the upper hand again in 2025.

Yet another intriguing storyline to watch for the Vikings this upcoming season.