Brian Flores and his dominant Vikings defense take on the winless Dolphins, the team he once coached

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Brian Flores has become one of the most impactful and prominent assistant coaches in the NFL over four seasons as defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings , with his knack for play calling and a gift for maximizing the group's strengths.

Flores might be doing his best work yet this year with the undefeated Vikings, who have allowed the second-fewest points in the league. He'll have the opportunity on Sunday to show off his tricks to his old team, the winless Miami Dolphins .

Fired after a three-season run as their head coach, Flores sued the NFL a month later in allegation of racially discriminatory hiring practices in a landmark case that's still in the court system four years later and awaits a trial sometime in 2027. Even if the Dolphins roster has only two players left from his last team in 2021 and his replacement Mike McDaniel was fired after last season, owner Stephen Ross remains in control of the club.

If Flores has any strong feelings about facing the Dolphins, though, he's keeping those to himself, other than an eagerness to catch up before the game with the dozens of support staffers he's still friendly with.

“I'm the same every week,” Flores said. “It's never about me. It's always about our team, and so the preparation's going to be the same.”

The Vikings defense has been especially ready this season, with league-best rates in sacks per pass attempt, touchdowns allowed inside the 20-yard line, and third down conversions. The foundation for Flores has long begun with an unwavering trust in his players.

“I tell them all the time, when people turn on the Vikings, I hope they see a team that really is connected and is having fun playing ball," Flores said. “I think we're doing that.”

The Dolphins, with star running back De'Vone Achane done for the season with a torn ACL and quarterback Malik Willis making just his 10th career start, will have a tough task amid the deafening roar of the crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium in trying to identify and block all those creative and unpredictable sets and rushes.

“You just can’t get really scared of it," rookie guard Kadyn Proctor said. "Just have to be locked in to the slants and to the blitzes and really just focus on doing our one-eleventh, focus on our job.”

Miami (0-3) at Minnesota (3-0).

When/where to watch: Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EDT, CBS.

Latest odds: Vikings by 10½.

Against the spread: Dolphins 0-3; Vikings 3-0.

Last week: Dolphins lost to the Chiefs 24-10; Vikings beat the Buccaneers 23-16.

Last meeting: Vikings beat the Dolphins 24-16 on Oct. 16, 2022, in Miami.

Series record: Dolphins lead 8-6.

Vikings OLB Dallas Turner vs. Dolphins LT Patrick Paul. While Flores creates constant uncertainty for offenses by frequently moving his pass rushers around the formation and never settling for defined positions, Turner most often lines up on the right side and has been a force in the backfield so far this season. Paul was a second-round draft pick in 2024 who became a starter last year.

— Each of Miami’s first four opponents — Las Vegas, San Francisco, Kansas City and Minnesota — have started the season 3-0.

— The Dolphins have gone three games without a sack by their defense — the only team in the NFL without one — and have allowed nine sacks through three games.

— Dolphins rookie WR Caleb Douglas (ankle) did not practice Wednesday or Thursday, still considered day to day after missing last week. RB Jaylen Wright (foot) returned to practice after missing the previous game with a stinger, a pinched nerve in the neck and shoulder area. He is listed first on the depth chart in Achane's absence, ahead of Ollie Gordon II.

— The Dolphins haven’t scored more than 13 points in a game this season and are averaging just 291 total yards per game, but they're still ahead of the Vikings, who are last in the league with 238. That includes just 137 net passing yards per game, which for a full season would be the lowest total since the Bears (131) in 2022.

— Vikings WR Justin Jefferson was forced out of the most recent game in the first quarter because of a sprained ankle and did not practice Wednesday or Thursday.

— The Vikings have won eight straight games, going back to Week 14 of the 2025 season. That's the longest active streak in the NFL. They started 5-0 in 2024.

— Vikings RB Aaron Jones has 40 carries over the past two games, with Jordan Mason sidelined by a broken thumb. His per-game average over three seasons with the Vikings is 13.7 attempts.

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