The Minnesota Vikings may be one of the notable success stories of the NFL season, but head coach Kevin O'Connell knows his team has plenty off room for improvement. While the offense is in good shape with Justin Jefferson and Kirk Cousins, the defense has been playing poorly and there are few signs that it will improve.
The Minnesota Vikings have allowed 464 total yards today vs the Detroit Lions
This is the 5th straight game the Vikings Defense have allowed at least 400 yards in a game, their longest streak in Franchise History pic.twitter.com/lVRhNGzjqs
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 11, 2022
The Vikings dropped a 34-23 decision to the Lions and fell to 10-3 on the season. While Minnesota still has a big lead in the NFC North and can clinch the division title in Week 15 at home against the Indianapolis Colts, the defense gave up 464 yards to the Lions.
The performance marked the 5th consecutive game that the Vikings gave up 400 yards or more, and that's the most in team history.
O'Connell is clearly troubled by his team's defensive issues. “We've got to take a look at what we can do to help our guys be in position to make more plays,” O'Connell said. “Be a little more aggressive, possibly. I think we've got to generate some more rush, however we do it, and then just try to limit explosives.”
The Vikings need more help from pass rusher Danielle Hunter and defensive coordinator Ed Donatell. Hunter has been healthy for the majority of the season, but he has 7.0 sacks this year and just 1.0 in his last 4 games. He was held to 2 tackles against the Lions.
Donatell was hired by Kevin O'Connell to provide an upgrade to the Minnesota defense. Donatell has defended his unit in recent weeks, saying that while the Vikings give up yards, they get takeaways and don't give up points.
That changed dramatically against the Lions, and the Vikings need to make changes.
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