The Minnesota Vikings did it again on Sunday afternoon. Down 21-3 at one point, the Chicago Bears came storming back into the game and had taken a 22-21 lead midway through the fourth quarter. The Vikings had made another game interesting.
It felt preposterous. Kirk Cousins completed his first 17 passes, the Bears left Justin Jefferson wide open, and Dalvin Cook was frying the league’s worst run defense like a teppanyaki chef. Just as the Vikings were about to ignite this onion volcano, the Bears started inching their way back. Justin Fields suddenly looked competent. Darnell Mooney looked like Odell Beckham. Chicago got the ball with 2:26 left and started marching down the field.
Cameron Dantzler eventually forced the game-winning fumble, but the fans’ favorite target remained. Ed Donatell’s defense had allowed a Chicago offense producing 96 yards per game to rack up 208 yards on Sunday afternoon. They also sacked Fields just twice after the Bears had been averaging five sacks allowed per game this season.
Mix in a shell defense that allowed Fields to run around and extend plays like Fran Tarkenton, and Vikings fans were cursing the defensive coordinator. But there was a bigger problem lost in the #FireDonatell movement. Minnesota’s offense had built a big lead but stalled through the middle of the game. Because the offense was inefficient, the Vikings’ defense was on the field more and allowed the Bears to make their comeback.
Look at the four drives after the Vikings went up 21-3. With 4:05 left in the second quarter, the Vikings had a chance to bury the Bears with more points before the half. Cook ran for 26 yards on the first two plays, and after a completion to Jefferson, it appeared that everyone was in for a relaxing afternoon.
But Justin Jones sacked Cousins on third-and-four, and the drive was over after five plays, 25 yards, and 2:11 melted off the clock.
Ryan Wright came out for a punt that looked like a Saturday drive at your local golf course, and the Bears capitalized with a David Montgomery touchdown. Still, the Vikings had a chance to get points before the half.
The next drive saw the Vikings move into field goal range, but Greg Joseph‘s first missed kick of the day sent Minnesota into the locker room with an 11-point lead. The drive took eight plays for 40 yards and 1:08 off the clock.
The Bears got a touchdown on their first drive of the second half, and the lead was down to 21-16. The Vikings needed to respond and were blessed with prime field possession after a failed onside kick. But after seven plays and 15 yards, Chicago blocked Joseph’s 51-yard field goal. The drive lasted only 2:50.
Chicago netted a field goal that made it 21-19, and the Vikings had another opportunity to stop the bleeding. The next drive went five plays for 24 yards before Cousins threw an interception to Kindle Vildor. The drive only took 3:21 off the clock and set up the Bears for a 51-yard field goal from Cairo Santos that gave them the lead.
If you’re keeping score at home, that’s four drives that ended with a punt, two missed field goals, and an interception. Those drives averaged just over six plays for 26 yards and 2:30 in time of possession.
You could gripe about Joseph’s missed field goals, and you could also curse Donatell’s defense. But the bigger problem is that the Vikings haven’t destroyed the will of their opponents after building a massive lead.
Take the Vikings’ season-opening win over the Green Bay Packers. Fans were thrilled to see Jefferson make wide-open catches and dubbed Kevin O’Connell a wizard after the game. But take away the Vikings’ big drives, and you see an Adrian Peterson effect where they prioritize big plays over consistency.
The defense took the brunt of the criticism when the Philadelphia Eagles obliterated the Vikings the following week. Jalen Hurts nearly racked up 400 total yards in that game, but the offense also had six different drives that went three plays or fewer.
In Week 3, the Vikings clawed their way back from an early 14-point deficit only to watch their offense produce three consecutive three-and-outs. The Detroit Lions took a 24-14 lead. If it wasn’t for Dan Campbell flipping a coin on the final fourth down of the game, it’s possible the offense could have cost the Vikings a win.
The Vikings’ offense wasn’t exactly great against the New Orleans Saints in London. Minnesota settled for five field goals and went 2/5 inside the red zone.
Expecting the offense to find the end zone on every drive is unreasonable. Still, a more consistent effort could help a defense that should have lower standards than what Vikings fans are used to.
In 2017, impact players entering their prime filled the defense. Eric Kendricks, Danielle Hunter, and even Trae Waynes joined a group that included Harrison Smith, Xavier Rhodes, and Anthony Barr. With a young group of emerging superstars, the Vikings had one of the NFL’s best defenses from 2016 to 2019 and became a fixture of Mike Zimmer’s tenure in Minnesota.
Unfortunately, the Vikings don’t have the players to play the way the 2016-19 defense did. Smith, Kendricks, Patrick Peterson, and Za’Darius Smith are all on the wrong side of 30. The young players aren’t the superstar talents they had five years ago.
The ultimate goal was to choke the life out of opponents in 2017, but the Vikings are trying to hang on for dear life in 2022. The philosophy shift is summed up perfectly in Peterson’s advice to Dantzler during film sessions. “I always tell him, if we don’t give up touchdowns… we’ll have a good opportunity to win the ball game,” Peterson told reporters last week. “The team wants to throw the ball into the end zone, and he and I have to stand up each and every week to help this team reach its potential.”
Judging by that comment, it probably doesn’t bother the Vikings that the Bears doubled their output through the air on Sunday afternoon. The defense also probably feels like it did its job by holding the Bears to 22 points. Being 16th in the league in points allowed probably would have had Zimmer pulling his hair out. Hell, Zimmer once told Rhodes he could find Cover 2 corners that keep the play in front of them at a 7-Eleven.
But it might be something Donatell is okay with because his offense is expected to hold serve.
The Vikings look able to do just that at times. The first three drives of Sunday’s game showed what O’Connell’s offense could be when it’s running on all cylinders. But it’s also an offense still searching for its first third-quarter touchdown of the season.
That makes games like Sunday much closer than they should be and takes years off the lifespan of Vikings fans. I’m not excusing the defense, but the offense needs to put them in better late-game situations. Once the Vikings figure it out, they should be a true contender in the NFC.
