If you are looking for a game-within-the-game storyline to follow in tonight’s Bears-Vikings affair on Monday Night Football, then pay close attention to how Brian Flores’ unit performs against Chicago. Because, for all intents and purposes, the Minnesota defensive coordinator might as well be using tonight as a resume-building game and pseudo-audition for the Bears head coach opening.
I am looking forward to seeing what Vikings DC and rumored Chicago Bears coaching candidate Brian Flores has in store for Monday Night Football.
After all, can you name a better way to insert yourself into a larger discussion than by showing out in prime time?
Brian Flores is known for his aggressive defenses, exotic blitzes, and his ability to fluster and fustigate young quarterbacks. For what it’s worth, Bears rookie signal caller Caleb Willams held his own in November’s first meeting between the Bears and Vikings. Chicago’s QB1 threw for 340 passing yards and two touchdowns while posting a 103.1 passer rating and going without throwing an interception as the Bears put up 27 points in an overtime loss. I am as curious to see how Flores counters based on what he learned from that game as I am to see how Williams goes about replicating that performance. There is a real cat-and-mouse game to be played tonight at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Brian Flores can make his pitch for the Bears head coaching job on Monday Night Football
The loudest and most vocal Bears fans have made it known that they want an offensive-leaning head coach. And understandably so, I might add. The idea of syncing the head coach as the lead offensive play-caller with a young and developing quarterback makes for an ideal situation. Don’t get me wrong. I vibe with that thinking and feel as if that is the best path this franchise can take en route to relevance (and then, eventually, success). But still … I am someone who keeps an open mind to all candidates and feels it necessary to flesh out all my options before making a decision. It’s called doing your due diligence.
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With that in mind, I want to see how Brian Flores approaches tonight’s game. The Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator has an opportunity to make a pitch to the Chicago Bears’ brass without even having to say a word. And after seeing how the team reacted to public humiliation in front of a nationally televised audience on Thanksgiving, I can’t say that how Flores’ defense plays in a prime-time game won’t impact how upper management views his candidacy. It is clear to me that the Bears (for better or worse) take to heart how the team plays in these big moments.
For what it’s worth, this isn’t the first time Brian Flores has been a Bears head coaching candidate. Flores was on the interview list in 2022 for the job that ultimately went to Matt Eberflus. Teammate Patrick Flowers made a strong case for Flores’ candidacy in 2022, and I feel that a lot of what he said then could still be applicable today. Fast forward to 2024, and Flowers has Flores ranking among his second-tier coaching candidates for the vacancy that Eberflus’ departure left behind.
Jason Lieser (Sun-Times) writes that while Brian Flores has a brilliant football mind, he is not the right fit for theBears’s head coach opening in 2025. Based on what the team reportedly prefers in its next head coach, I would venture to say that Lieser is spot-on with his assessment.
Bill Belichick and his cronies were reportedly eyeing the Bears job before heading to the University of North Carolina. One factor steering Belichick to the college game was the widely held belief that Chicago (and other NFL teams with head coach vacancies) would target Detroit Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson and other offensive-leaning coaches. If it was going to be tough for Bill Belichick to get a head coaching gig in the NFL, I imagine Brian Flores might find similar issues.
In the end, this is why I feel as if this is a big game for Flores. Maybe he isn’t the best fit for the Bears head coach opening. But there is never a bad time to put good tape out there to boost your r??sum??. And Brian Flores could do just that if his defense executes its game plan against Chicago’s football team tonight. It might not be enough to win over the Bears, but maybe one of the other teams with a head coach vacancy will take notice. Stay tuned.
