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Donatell's future murky after defense fails in Vikings playoff loss

Questions will most certainly be asked regarding the future of defensive coordinator Ed Donatell, whose unit was the NFL's second-to-last in yards allowed.

EAGAN, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings faced plenty of questions about their legitimacy as a contender in the NFC heading into Sunday's Wildcard playoff matchup with the New York Giants, the rare 13-win team with a negative point differential during the regular season.

The source of doubt could be clearly traced back to a defense that finished second-to-last in the league in yards allowed, and their 31-24 loss was the final - and most painful - piece of evidence that something needs to change. 

Playoff newbie Daniel Jones passed for 301 yards and two touchdowns and ran for an additional 78 to lead an unflappable performance by a Giants team that was nowhere near the NFL's most productive offenses in 2022.

The tone was set the first time the Giants touched the football when they went 85 yards in just five plays for the tying score — a 28-yard run around left end on a quick pitch to Saquon Barkley. He knifed through a seam between his blockers and scampered all the way down the sideline untouched.

Then the Giants went 81 yards in four snaps, capped by a touchdown pass by Jones to Isaiah Hodgins. The first play of that drive was a 47-yard pass to Darius Slayton, wide open on the type of crossing route the Vikings were vulnerable against so often this season with their two-high safety scheme and soft underneath zones.

Jones took advantage of the typically deep drops by Vikings linebackers into their coverages to take off and run free when he didn’t see anyone open. On most plays that wasn't a problem, with receivers Hodgins and Slayton especially successful at working those spaces in the middle of the field.

“Credit to them. They had some good scheme stuff," linebacker Jordan Hicks said. “We made some solid adjustments at halftime, added some pressure, got after them a bit, but we let a stream come from them, and a couple drives and we fell short — about one or two stops short.”

The 17 rushing attempts by Jones, including kneel-downs, were the second-most by a quarterback in a postseason game, according to Sportradar data available since 1948. Lamar Jackson ran the ball 20 times for Baltimore in a loss to Tennessee on Jan. 11, 2020. Only 13 quarterbacks in NFL history have rushed for more yards in a playoff game than Jones did, per Sportradar.

When a defense is struggling so consistently to turn the ball back over without giving up a score, the offense can find itself in the unenviable position of having to be perfect — and the Vikings weren't quite that Sunday.

They had to punt on two "what-could-have-been" drives in the first half.

On third-and-1 at their own 34, O’Connell called a trick play that resulted in a 2-yard loss on a throwback pass from Justin Jefferson to Kirk Cousins.

Then on second-and-3 at their own 47, a wide-open Irv Smith Jr. dropped a short throw to the sideline before another incompletion.

The Vikings rallied from two separate 10-point deficits, but when Greg Joseph made the tying field goal early in the fourth quarter they were kicking themselves for failing to take the lead with a touchdown instead. Cousins ran a successful sneak on fourth-and-1 at the 15, but the first down was negated by a false start on left tackle Christian Darrisaw.

Head coach Kevin O'Connell's first year — a 13-4 record to match the second-most regular-season wins in franchise history and an NFC North title that was clinched with three games to go — was an unquestionable success. But O'Connell will face one of his most important decisions for Year Two next week when he determines whether or not to bring back defensive coordinator Ed Donatell.

Credit: AP
The future of Vikings defensive coordinator Ed Donatell is in question after his "bend-don't-break" philosophy led to Minnesota having one of the league's worst defenses, a situation that became painfully obvious during Sunday's playoff loss to New York. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

O'Connell was supportive of his embattled coordinator, but the numbers may be too glaring in analysis to bring Donatell back. 

“I think Ed tried to do the best he could this year across the board, installing the defense and the scheme that we had kind of manifested together and hoped it would come to life,” O'Connell said. “He worked his absolute tail off, and his commitment to trying to make some adjustments and improve was there, each and every week, all season long."

Social media was not as kind, with post after post calling for Donatell to be fired immediately. 

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