**Week 14 at Patriots | Vikings DC Brian Flores vs. Patriots OC Josh McDaniels**
Familiar coaching faces will have the chance to duel it out in New England.
Flores and McDaniels overlapped with the Patriots during the 2008 season (Flores – special teams assistant; McDaniels – offensive coordinator and QBs coach) and then again from 2012-18, during which McDaniels held the same position and Flores oversaw safeties and then linebackers.
Now in their respective positions as offensive and defensive coordinators, McDaniels and Flores will coach against each other in those roles for the first time in a regular season.
Flores returns for his fourth season in Minnesota, while McDaniels rejoined the Patriots in 2025 for his third stint with the team.
With McDaniels running an offense led by 2025 MVP Drake Maye and Flores primed with additional defensive pieces, this AFC-NFC matchup could be an incredible chess match.
**Week 16 vs. Commanders | OLB Dallas Turner vs. QB Jayden Daniels**
Former college rivals Turner and Daniels will face each other for the second time on an NFL stage after crossing paths last season when the Vikings shut out the Commanders 31-0.
The edge rusher and quarterback first played against each other in 2022, when Alabama (Turner) and LSU (Daniels) battled it out in a November game that went into overtime before LSU pulled off a 32-31 win. Daniels passed for two touchdowns that day — and was sacked by Turner one-and-a-half times.
LSU and Alabama met again in 2023, and this time it was Turner and the Crimson Tide who rolled to a 42-28 victory over Daniels' Tigers.
Daniels and Turner were drafted No. 2 and No. 17 overall the next year by Washington and Minnesota, respectively.
In last season's game against the Commanders, Turner played 27 defensive snaps and logged two tackles. The Vikings limited Daniels to 9-of-20 passing for just 78 yards and an interception with a passer rating of 35.0.
With Turner expected to have a larger role on defense this year (following the trade of Jonathan Greenard), it will be interesting to see if he finds his way to another takedown of Daniels … this time at the pro level.