The Bucs’ offense will have a tough test this Sunday. The Vikings come in sporting one of the best defenses in the NFL. They are also the most aggressive. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores calls blitzes at a previously unbelievable 75% rate. The Bucs will need to have answers for this onslaught of pressure. It starts with improving their communication and pass off rules that have plagued them through the first two weeks when handling simple stunts.

But it will also need to include holding backs and tight ends in to help with pass protections. I also think a personnel change and evolution could help. Flores has a habit of blitzing most against 11 personnel and backing off when offenses show him something different. The Bucs currently lead the NFL in 11p usage, essentially inviting the most aggressive version of the Vikings defensive coordinator. Bucs offensive coordinator Zac Robinson could start using his tight ends more, following a league trend of getting heavier. Or he could forge his own path showing Flores something he doesn’t see very often.

In doing so, he can also lean into the Liam Coen influences Bucs head coach Todd Bowles has said the two share.

Using The Pony To Slow The Vikings Defense

The Vikings have not faced a snap of 21 personnel (two running backs, one tight end, two wide receivers) this year. But using Sumer Sports and going back to last season, there are two things that stand out with how Flores has responded. First, he stayed in base personnel almost exclusively (32 of 38 snaps – 84% of the time). It also slowed the Vikings blitz rate considerably — Flores only brought extra heat on five snaps (13%).

It’s a small sample size (barely half a game’s worth of snaps), but it’s worth pressing the envelope. The Bucs have shown an ability to win in 21p in the past. Their EPA/play and success rate out of that package in 2024 were at astronomical levels. Their biggest run of the 2026 season, a 38-yard gain against the Browns last week, came out of 21p.

The idea here is that Flores, who likes to dictate terms, plays aggressively, and gets light into nickel and dime packages when matching 11p (one running back and one tight end), can be pushed to a more conservative brand of football with heavier personnel if Tampa Bay puts two backs on the field.

When using 21p, the Bucs primarily lined Kenny Gainwell up as a receiver before orbit motioning him to create multiple paths for the defense to have to account for. They ran out of 21p 67% of the time and of course hit that big explosive.

The runs were primarily counter and wide zone, so Robinson could use changeups against Minnesota trying to spread them to the outside of the box looking for those concepts again, only to run Duo, Inside Zone or Trap as new wrinkles.

In the passing game, moving Bucky Irving, Cade Otton, and Gainwell around the formation helps create confusion and opens up opportunities in the intermediate area of the field. The Bucs hit on a 13-yard play releasing Otton on a sail route out of the backfield as a fullback.

The Bucs can also get to escorts that have been beneficial for them in the past. Creative personnel. Getting some of their best players on the field. Slowing the Vikings’ pressure tendencies. The Bucs went to pony nine times against the Browns. They should up that to 13-15 times against the Vikings to help them establish their run game, target the middle of the field, and hit a couple of explosives that could mean the difference between winning and losing the game.