By Jim Souhan

NFL teams scored 791 points in Week 1, tying a record set in 2012.

What we are seeing in the NFL is similar to what we’ve seen in every other major sport. The athletes are bigger, faster, better trained, better coached and fueled by better nutrition. Many also begin high-level training for their future careers at a younger age. And the best athletes are choosing to play running back, receiver and tight end.

Combine all of that talent with innovative and analytics-driven offense planning and play-calling, and many modern NFL defenses are in a world of hurt.

That’s why the Vikings’ Brian Flores is an ideal modern defensive coordinator.

Aggressiveness is a must.

The Vikings have employed a number of outstanding defensive coordinators. Tony Dungy is at the top of the list.

Dungy’s defense was the opposite of Flores’. He favored what is now known as the Tampa 2 defense – two safeties playing deep, in a scheme that invited offenses to complete short passes. Dungy’s philosophy (and that of former Vikings assistant Monte Kiffin, who popularized the defense in Tampa while working as Dungy’s defensive coordinator) was that if you forced an offense to work methodically down the field, and punished their receivers every time they caught a short pass, eventually offenses would make a mistake.

Dungy believed in generating pressure with four down linemen, so his scheme required outstanding pass rushers. John Randle was perfect for his scheme.

I don’t think Dungy’s defense would work as well today. Too many receivers and tight ends excel at running after the catch. One antidote to Dungy’s defense was having a tight end who could beat inside linebackers down the field and split the safeties. Now almost every team has a tight end who can do that.

In today’s NFL, defenses need to create turnovers and keep offenses guessing. That’s what Flores’ defense does.

You can call Flores’ defense risky. Against the Packers on Sunday, there were plays during which Packers receivers broke wide open, exploiting an area left open by a Vikings blitz.

Risks are necessary. The alternative is playing passively and letting offenses dictate the flow of the game.

Now comes what to me is the most fascinating matchup of the young season: Flores’ defense, which just overwhelmed the Packers, facing Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams and the Bears, who scored 59 points on Sunday, in the first game after Johnson said that he wants his team to set offensive records and win multiple Super Bowls.

The Bears will move the ball.

The question of the week is: Can Flores’ defense counterpunch? Or is Williams ready to pass another test?

-The hot listen: Mark Rosen has had a lot of great guests on lately. He settled for me this week. We talked Vikings, Gophers, WNBA, Twins, Wild, Wolves.

-The hot rec: Forgotten Star Brewing hosts our live Jon Krawczynski Shows. I also recommend it for Vikings games and other Minnesota sports. Easy drive from Minneapolis or the Northern suburbs, unlimited free parking, spacious and beautiful building, food trucks, great beer.

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