Defensive Woes Led To Abrupt End For 2022-23 Minnesota Vikings

In the end, the weaknesses overpowered the strengths for the Minnesota Vikings.

Throughout the 13-4 regular season there were two schools of thought for the Vikings coaches, players, and, yes, their long-suffering fans. One was the record itself, and that it was so good that the Vikings were a class team, one capable of doing great things on the field every week.

The other was that the record was an illusion. The wins were close, but the losses were destructive. It wasn’t so much the point differential, it was that when they lost, they simply got overpowered and overwhelmed. Great teams don’t get blown out by the Eagles and Cowboys. They may not win, but they find a way to compete.

The Vikings season ended as they lost a home playoff game to an upstart team that is just finding itself. The Giants are no powerhouse, but they are improving. The Vikings were not improving. The losses took the starch out of the team, and while the offense had so many weapons, the defense was simply awful.

That was nothing new, as the Vikings have been one of the softest and most yielding defenses in the league for the last three seasons. While the coaches and the scheme have something to do with it, the conclusion here is that it’s the personnel.

Say what you want about former head coach Mike Zimmer, but he clearly knew defensive schemes and tactics as well as any man in the league. When the defense faltered under his leadership, it meant there was a significant problem.

Ed Donatell inherited Zimmer’s defense, and he put in a rather vanilla scheme. Not because he was limited, but the perception was that the defensive personnel did not have the wherewithal to take on a more complex way of attacking.

The defensive personnel lacked strength, speed, ballast and some degree of will. They have been getting pushed around for the better part of three years, and that proved to be the undoing in the 31-24 loss to the Giants.

Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is an outstanding athlete but he is a work in progress. He had two A-plus games this year, and both were against the Vikings. He was firing medium-range rockets against the Minnesota secondary from the start on Sunday. He completed 24 of 35 passes for 301 yards with 2 touchdowns and no interceptions, and he led the Giants with 78 rushing yards.

He did what he wanted because the Minnesota defense was just not good enough to cover the New York receivers. They lacked the skills, speed and desire to pay the price and make plays. The pass rush got spanked badly by the Giants offensive line and couldn’t make Jones feel the heat. The linebackers were always a step slow and their tackling was inefficient.

After the Vikings drove the field in an expert manner on their initial possession and took a 7-0 lead, the Giants came at them as if they were tigers let out of the cage. A big run by Saquon Barkley on first down was negated by a holding call. It was first-and-20, and it should have given Minnesota the opportunity to set the tone.

Instead, the Giants followed with murderous back-to-back drives. They ripped down the field in five plays, traveling 85 yards to tie the score on a 28-yard sweep by Barkley around left end.

On the next possession, the Giants were even more impressive, going 81 yards in 4 plays that culminated with a Jones 14-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Hodgins. Just like that, the Giants were ahead 14-7 and dictating the pace of the game.

They would never lose control. The Vikings would fall behind 24-14 before tying the score on a Kirk Cousins TD pass to Irv Smith and a Greg Joseph field goal. But that was an illusion. Shortly after the Vikings had squared the game, the Giants went 67 yards on 12 plays and went ahead for good on a two-yard TD run by Barkley midway through the fourth quarter.

While the Vikings would attempt to get back in the game on the following two possessions, they just did not have enough steam.

A season of winning one-score games came to an abrupt halt, and the illusion of greatness was over.

Many things have to happen before the Vikings begin preparing for the 2023 season. But the one thing that Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah must know in their hearts is that the defense has to be ripped apart at the seams and rebuilt from the ground up.

Anything else will lead to more failure and more pain.