The Vikings will return to the 3-4 defense this fall for the first time since the 1980s, led by a man whose time in the Vikings-Packers rivalry dates back to Antonio Freeman's "Monday Night Miracle" in the old NFC Central division.
Everything has come full circle in Minnesota, where Ed Donatell — who presided over a 4-3 scheme in Green Bay from 2000-03 — is in charge of implementing one of the NFL's hottest schemes this fall. Vic Fangio popularized the version of the 3-4 that's swept across the league, frustrating quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers by making them throw underneath, and Donatell is back in the NFC North after spending much of the past decade working with Fangio, the former 49ers and Bears defensive coordinator who brought Donatell to Denver when he became the Broncos' head coach in 2019.