Ed Donatell's 'bend don't break' defense is proving harmful to the health of Vikings fans
Ed Donatell is quickly becoming a problem to the health of Vikings fans who are frequently finding themselves riddled with stress as they watch his defense gives up massive chunks of yards only to hold strong when the game is on the line.
Look no further than the hellscape that is Twitter for Vikings fans begging Ed Donatell to do something different, rather than sit back and let opposing quarterbacks shred them. Go ahead, search "Ed Donatell" on Twitter. Here's a sampling of what you'll find.
- "Ed Donatell gives us heart attacks. He shouldn't be around next year."
- "I honestly despise Ed Donatell’s stupid defense"
- "im so sick and tired of ed donatell, he never blitzes he plays quarters coverage and every snap. free 300 yards for the QB every week"
- "Vikings will not be considered a threat as long as Ed Donatell is our DC."
- "Ed Donatell needs to go spend time with his grandkids or somethin cause coaching clearly isn’t for him"
- "Something must be wrong with my phone. ESPN has yet to alert me of Ed Donatell’s firing…"
Since holding the Commanders to a meager 263 yards on Nov. 6, the Vikings' defense has been brutalized by four straight opponents that produced 400+ yards, including the Bills and Jets nearing 500 yards of total offense.
- Bills: 486 yards
- Cowboys: 458 yards
- Patriots: 409 yards
- Jets: 486 yards
The passing defense is what's getting to fans the most. Josh Allen threw for 311 yards, Mac Jones went for 382 and Mike White chucked it around the yard for 362 yards. Dak Prescott went 22-of-25 for 276 yards and he only threw three passes after the Cowboys took a 37-3 lead with more than eight minutes left in the third quarter.
It's the product of a "bend-don't-break" scheme that has come perilously close to snapping against the Patriots and Jets. Had it snapped, 8-4 would look a lot different than 10-2.
For the season, the Vikings' passing defense ranks last in yards allowed (3,403) and last in yards per attempt (7.6). Their coverage grade from Pro Football Focus ranks 22nd and is nowhere near the teams considered Super Bowl contenders.
PFF coverage grades for Super Bowl contenders:
- Cowboys: 85.0 (3rd)
- Eagles: 84.2 (4th)
- 49ers: 81.6 (5th)
- Bills: 73.2 (10th)
- Chiefs: 72.7 (11th)
- Bengals: 71.0 (13th)
- Vikings: 61.0 (22nd)
The Vikings are allowing 398.7 total yards per game. That's second worst in the NFL, only better than the Lions (402.2). The most yards per game allowed by a Super Bowl-winning team EVER was 376.4 by the 2011-12 New York Giants.
Yards per game allowed by Super Bowl winners since 2011:
- 2021 Rams: 344.2
- 2020 Buccaneers: 327.1
- 2019 Chiefs: 349.6
- 2018 Patriots: 359.1
- 2017 Eagles: 306.5
- 2016 Patriots: 326.4
- 2015 Broncos: 283.1
- 2014 Patriots: 344.1
- 2013 Seahawks: 273.6
- 2012 Ravens: 350.9
- 2011 Giants: 376.4
Bottom line: The Vikings probably give up too many yards to win the Super Bowl.
Bending and not breaking against Mac Jones and Mike White is one thing, but what's going to happen when Jalen Hurts or Dak Prescott or Patrick Mahomes start bending the defense? They'll snap it like a twig.
One thing to bear in mind is the ankle injury to Cameron Dantzler, and if that is playing a role in Minnesota's issues. Dantzler was injured late in the game against the Commanders, so he was out for all four games where the defense has been shredded. Minnesota was also without Akayleb Evans for two of those games.
Evans has already been ruled out for this week's game in Detroit, but Dantzler could be activated from injured reserve. If it's not as simple as Dantzler stabilizing the secondary, then it could be on Donatell to do something different, before his "bend don't break" philosophy meets a potential one-and-done scenario in the playoffs.
