Vikings' Brian Flores sends warning to Seahawks' Sam Darnold ahead of Week 13 clash

Quarterback Sam Darnold will go up against one of his former teams when his 8-3 Seattle Seahawks host the 4-7 Minnesota Vikings this coming Sunday. 

Current Minnesota defensive coordinator Brian Flores was in that role when Darnold helped the 2024 Vikings win 14 of 17 regular-season games. While speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Flores sent a bit of a warning to Darnold regarding what the signal-caller can expect to experience at Lumen Field on the final day of November. 

How Brian Flores, Vikings will attack Seahawks' Sam Darnold

"Sam’s one of my favorites," Flores explained, per Andrew Krammer of The Minnesota Star Tribune. "He’d grown tremendously when he was here, for sure, just from a leadership standpoint. ... He did a lot of great things when he was here, and clearly those things are continuing to show up for him out there in Seattle. ... We had a great rapport, friendship. I’m happy for him, but we’ll blitz him this week." 

Flores saw the best of Darnold as the quarterback guided the Vikings to a 14-3 record last season. However, Darnold then produced two woeful outings in back-to-back defeats that ended Minnesota's campaign. 

During the Vikings' wild-card playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Darnold lost 82 yards on nine sacks. He also tossed an interception and lost a second-quarter fumble that was returned for a touchdown.

According to Pro Football Reference, Darnold heads into Week 13 of the ongoing season ranked sixth in the NFL among qualified players with a 69.2 adjusted QBR, fifth with a 106.2 passer rating, sixth with 2,785 total passing yards and tied for fifth with 19 touchdown passes. That said, he was intercepted four times during a loss to the Rams on Nov. 16.

Can Brian Flores make Sam Darnold history repeat itself?

"There’s some things that we could say may have bothered him a year ago, but maybe they don’t this year," Flores added about Darnold. "Based on having seen it several times, getting more reps at it, getting more familiarity with a front or a coverage. So, a year later, it’s hard to know. But you try it out and see if that still bothers him. ... If it doesn’t bother him, you move on to something else. If it does, you keep running it."

As of Wednesday morning, ESPN BET had the Seahawks as massive 11.5-point favorites over the Vikings. Such a line indicates some insiders believe Darnold won't be too bothered this coming Sunday.