EAGAN, Minn. — On Monday afternoon, Vikings wide receiver K.J. Osborn unfurled his trash bag and shook his head.
“I’m, like, stunned,” he said. “I didn’t expect to be here doing this today.”
The end to Minnesota’s enthralling 13-win season came abruptly on Sunday. To the degree that, Osborn admitted, he was unsure when he’d be leaving Minnesota — or where he’d be going. He was not prepared for this.
Advertisem*nt
And he was not alone.
Center Garrett Bradbury did not expect to be answering questions about free agency already.
“I’d like to stay here,” he said.
Superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson hadn’t envisioned he’d be discussing a possible extension.
“I’ll be wherever I’m wanted,” he said.
This is what finality looks like in this business. Veterans like Eric Kendricks and Jordan Hicks reflected on how much they enjoyed playing with each other. Each, however, remained disgusted with what happened Sunday against the Giants.
GO DEEPERVikings defense fails them in playoffs against Giants: It's clear changes are neededAfter reviewing the all-22 film, speaking with players and taking a look at the metrics, that disgust makes sense. They also shed some light on the changes the Vikings need to make defensively this offseason.
Both Minnesota’s defensive scheme and personnel warrant analysis, but we’ll start with defensive coordinator Ed Donatell’s system.
The Vikings played more defensive snaps with two-high safeties than any team in the NFL besides the Chiefs. They also played zone coverage more than all but three teams. The ultimate goal, as it was explained often, was to limit deep passes over the top of the coverage.
Minnesota did not achieve that goal. The defense allowed the third-most passes in the league that went 20 or more yards in the air. Complicating things further, the focus the Vikings placed on keeping receivers in front of them opened the door for opponents to feast on short passes, leading to loads of yards after the catch.
For context, look at Giants quarterback Daniel Jones’ passing chart from Sunday:
Not one of Jones’ completions drifted more than 20 yards down the field in the air. Instead, the Giants amassed one of the most efficient throwing days any NFL team has had this season by quickly dumping the ball off.
The best example lies in the way the Giants used their running backs in their passing attack. In the second quarter, Saquon Barkley sprinted out to the flat. The Vikings defense did not adjust its call. Veteran linebacker Jordan Hicks got caught inside.
This was the result:
On the very next play, the Giants motioned backup running back Matt Breida to the flat. This time, the Vikings completed their check call. Cornerback Chandon Sullivan stepped out to the flat, eliminating that part of Jones’ progression.
This is what it looks like when the defense wins a rep:
The Giants, though, flipped through their call sheet and found a different way for Jones to find his tailback. This time, Barkley lined up on one side, then leaked from the backfield into the flat. Hicks attempted to alert Kendricks that Barkley was flowing to his side of the field. But Kendricks, occupied with the man in front of him, reacted late.
And that is how one of the most dangerous ball carriers in the game ended up with this much room to run:
Each of these plays raises questions about the scheme and the play caller. Would the Vikings have been better off playing a simpler system? Might these players have fared better had their roles been more defined pre-snap?
Both questions bring to mind a comment Donatell made last week when he was asked about installing this system this season with this group of players.
Advertisem*nt
“I’ve learned a lot,” he said. “I do know that if I start over again, the uniqueness of the players (matters). Because that’s what we’ve learned about our players. It’s going to be different (installing this scheme) every time.”
Sunday, the Vikings’ schematic adjustments mirrored the changes made during the season. Between the first and second halves, Minnesota increased its man coverage usage and blitz frequency. Interestingly, on the nine snaps they did play in man coverage in the second half, the Vikings did not allow one gain of 10 yards or more.
For the season, however, the Vikings’ success rate on defense was 56.3 percent when playing man coverage and 56.4 percent when playing zone.
This, of course, brings us to the personnel part of the equation.
Multiple plays Sunday laid bare the Vikings’ deficiencies. On this play in the red zone, Giants receiver Isaiah Hodgins ran a quick out route from the slot against Sullivan. The Vikings’ nickel cornerback reacted late, providing separation that allowed an easy completion:
Later in the game, on the opposite side of the field, Hodgins quick-faked cornerback Patrick Peterson, who bit on the route, opening up the sideline for another completion.
Then there was Kendricks, who misread multiple pass attempts. Just as concerning, though, was his inability to quickly track down Giants tight end Daniel Bellinger on this pass play before Bellinger reached the first-down marker.
This is where Bellinger caught the ball:
And this is where Kendricks contacted him:
Giants head coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka toyed with the Vikings defense all evening. And Minnesota continually failed to adapt.
On the Giants’ second touchdown, for example, they motioned their receivers on the left into a stack setup. Peterson remained outside, as if he expected help to the inside. Safety Camryn Bynum, however, was busy, focused on the three receivers to the other side.
The underneath receiver grabbed Hicks’ attention. He took the bait, opening up space and leaving Peterson out-leveraged. For Jones, this was a simple pitch and catch to Hodgins.
“That was different (than what they’d shown on film),” Hicks said after the game. “They put a speed guy right in front of me. It’s a cheese route. We’ve seen it over and over again. It’s not necessarily new. But it was a different look (from them). It was a good scheme (from them) for what we were in.”
Advertisem*nt
One player, who spoke on the condition of anonymity after Sunday’s game so that he could talk freely, expressed that the Vikings were struggling to remain disciplined in some of their bread-and-butter calls.
Comments like those raise the ultimate question: Is it on the personnel to react quickly on the fly, or did the system’s rules prevent the players from reacting quickly? This is not a new question, the same way Sunday’s struggles were nothing new for these Vikings.
This should not be a surprise, either. There is a reason former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman spent draft capital in 2021 on defense (Chazz Surratt, Patrick Jones II, Janarius Robinson, Jaylen Twyman). It’s also why current GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah doubled down in 2022 with Lewis Cine, Andrew Booth Jr., Brian Asamoah and Akayleb Evans.
Issues arise when your draft picks don’t help on the field — for injury purposes or otherwise. Future scheme installer and play caller aside, minimal impact from young talent makes stopping opposing offenses difficult and it forces you to spend more capital both in the draft and in free agency.
Regardless, this feels like one of the things that needs to — and can — change going forward. Evident, even in Sunday’s one-game sample, was the need for reinforcements both at cornerback and linebacker. The Vikings need to spend resources on second- and third-level defensive talent that can make plays for the defense in 2023 and beyond.
(Top photo of Jordan Hicks and Josh Metellus: David Berding / Getty Images)
Alec Lewis is a staff writer covering the Minnesota Vikings for The Athletic. He grew up in Birmingham, Ala., and has written for Yahoo, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the Kansas City Star, among many other places. Follow Alec on Twitter @alec_lewis
