A New Vikings Weapon is Already Talking Trash with Brian Flores

All in good fun, folks.

New Vikings weapon — perhaps the weapon for the upcoming season, depending on who gets asked — Kyler Murray has faced the Brian Flores defense a time or two. The elusive, ultra-quick QB hasn’t fared too poorly, leading to trash talking between the co-workers.

New Vikings Weapon Talking “Crap”

Minnesota’s veteran passer chatted with the media. Predictably, he was asked to comment on the Flores defense.

“I’ve played him a couple times,” Murray explained, “I give him a little crap sometimes cause I’ve obviously played him and I’ve had some success against his defense.” The quarterback dug into the topic a bit more: “Obviously, he’s known around the league as one of the best DCs in the league, so to finally be able to see it, break it down, and ask him questions, pick things off of him. I feel great about it.”

Cardinals QB Kyler Murray late in the 2023 season — Jan 7, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) huddles with the offense in the first half against the Seattle Seahawks at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Naturally, those reflections are going to lead to basic questions: when has Kyler Murray gone against Brian Flores and what were the results?

Murray played with the Arizona Cardinals from 2019 to 2025. Flores has been in a few different spots within the same time, working as the head coach of the Dolphins from 2019 to 2021. He then had a linebacker job with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022 before taking over as the DC with the Vikings from 2023 until the present moment.

Check it out:

Week 9 in 2020: 21/26 (80.8%) for 283 passing yards and 3 touchdowns; 11 carries for 106 rushing yards and 1 touchdown.
Week 13 in 2024: 31/45 (68.9%) for 260 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions; 7 carries for 48 rushing yards.

No doubt, Murray won the battle in that opening tilt. At that time, Coach Flores was working with the Dolphins, making them a respectable team when they had been pretty far off that standard. Current Vikings edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel was part of that Dolphins squad.

The second example arrives when Coach Flores was leading the Vikings’ defense in 2024. Minnesota’s magical season involved getting the better of Murray on that day, at least within the win/loss column. Still, the QB was dangerous. Minnesota barely won, getting past the finish line with a score showing 23-22 in the Vikings’ favor.

Oct 24, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores watches from the sidelines against the Los Angeles Rams in the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.

Battling with “The Mad Scientist” on a daily basis at TCO Performance Center isn’t for the faint of heart. The coach is an all gas, no brakes sort of playcaller, meaning there’s no rest for the weary.

Murray mostly appears confident, unflapped by the challenge of an attacking defense trying to hunt him down (though with the caveat that passers wear red jerseys, telling defenders to stop before tackling them). The veteran newcomer is looking to prove better than J.J. McCarthy to be the Week 1 starter of the 2026 regular season.

Kyler Murray is working on a $1.3 million deal. Crushing the Flores defense before crushing opposing defenses on Sunday will mean he makes far more in the not-too-distant future.