How bad Daniel Jones was against the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday night shines an even brighter light on how bad the Minnesota Vikings defense was this season.
Jones went from being the first quarterback in NFL history with 300+ pass yards, 2+ pass touchdowns and 70+ rushing yards in a playoff game to getting shut down by the Eagles.
- Jones vs. Vikings: 24-of-35, 301 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 78 rush yards
- Jones vs. Eagles: 15-of-27, 135 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 24 rush yards
All it did was support the notion that Minnesota had a fraudulent season and was one of the worst top seeds in NFL history. The Vikings were the No. 3 seed and got rocked 31-24 by the Giants – an “upset” that many predicted after witnessing Minnesota get outscored by its opponents despite going 13-4 in the regular season.
We really made Daniel Jones look like prime Steve Young
— We Talk Vikings (@WeTalkVikings) January 22, 2023
Giants getting blasted by a good team, huh
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) January 22, 2023
Jones threw for 300+ yards three times all season and two of them were against the Vikings. On Christmas Eve, Jones was 30-of-42 for 334 yards and had Greg Joseph not nailed a 61-yard field goal the Giants might’ve beaten Minnesota in overtime.
The Vikings were 11-0 in games decided by one score during the regular season. They needed the biggest comeback in NFL history to beat the Colts, a miraculous fumble in the end zone by Josh Allen to escape defeat in Buffalo, and a double doink to leave London with a win over the Saints.
It was bizarro world all season long and the clock struck midnight against the Giants.
And now Vikings management has to figure out how to fix the defense, starting with a new defensive coordinator after they fired Ed Donatell. They need to figure out what to do a bunch of high-priced aged starters, including safety Harrison Smith, linebacker Eric Kendricks and edge rushers Za’Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter.
Those four alone are due to count $59.5 million against the cap next season – and there’s a good chance Hunter is going to want a new, bigger deal to avoid playing without contract protection beyond 2023.
The Giants getting blasted by the Eagles after lighting up the Vikings makes it pretty clear that the first-round playoff loss only hastened Minnesota’s heartbreak because there’s no way they would’ve gone into San Francisco and kept it close.
New York’s meltdown in Philly also made it very clear that Minnesota losing to New York wasn’t just an unlucky day. The defensive issues are extreme and there is much work to do if the Vikings have any hope of contending in 2023.
