The 2022 Vikings Season Ends with Defensive Collapse
Mitchel Massman
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The 2022 season ends the only way possible for the Vikings. Anyone who has watched this team play football all year knew that a defensive collapse was inevitable. We all hoped that it wouldn’t happen this soon, but it was going to end.
Now, it is not all doom and gloom around here. The Vikings played a fantastic season and amassed 13 wins. Very few, if any, predicted them to get that many wins. Most predictions were in the 8 to 11-win range.
That said, many thought there was a real chance to advance to the divisional round of the playoffs. However, the problem that plagued the 2022 season reared its ugly head on Sunday. There was simply no overcoming the defense’s ineptitude.
The 2022 Vikings Season Ends with Defensive Collapse
There were so many mistakes made throughout the game. These ranged from letting Daniel Jones break containment to wide-open receivers on crossing routes to getting absolutely destroyed in the trenches.
Defensive Collapse
There is really no way to sugarcoat this. The defense was absolutely horrific against the Giants and, frankly, 90% of the year.
Throughout the year, the defense relied heavily on creating turnovers to end the opponent’s drives. However, those things are all too often determined by luck. Teams cannot rely on their defense to create turnovers to make stops. Eventually, you need to actually be better than your opponent.
Well, that luck ran out, and the turnovers didn’t come. The result? A whopping two punts by the Giants. Outside those two drives, the Giants could march down the field at will.
All five of their scoring drives were 75 yards or more. There were no short fields like when the Vikings played the Colts. The Giants simply beat the crap out of the Vikings and earned the win.
With this type of performance, the offense needed to be nearly perfect to have a chance at extending the 2022 season. Obviously, not a recipe for success.
Vikings Offense = Very few Blemishes
Kirk Cousins and the Vikings played admirably against the Giants. Some will quickly blame Cousins because of the 4th and 8 decisions at the end of the game. Although, I would challenge you to think deeper about this topic.
Obviously, in that situation, Cousins cannot throw the route short of the sticks. Anything short should be disregarded entirely. However, you need to ask why he was in that position in the first place.
Hint: The defense could not get a stop when they absolutely had to.
Of course, the offense had its issues. My beef is with five total plays.
- Running a throwback to Cousins on 3rd and 1. This was a poor play call. Up to this point, the Vikings could move the ball very efficiently. Therefore, there is no need for a trick play. Line up and beat them.
- Irv Smith dropped the 2nd and 3 to-go throw, which led them to not convert the first down. No real excuses, Irv Smith needed to catch this ball, but alas he did not. Dropped passes are the main reason why Smith will not be back in purple next year.
- After a terrible year trying to run screens, KOC decided to run back-to-back screens on the second to last drive of the game. The result was -4 yards to Cook and 3 yards to Hockenson. As a team that cannot run screens, running two in a row is a bad decision.
- The infamous 4th and 8 throw. For obvious reasons, this was terrible from the play call to the blocking to the throw. Bad all around.
Outside of these five plays, the Vikings offense had its way. They were able to move the ball quite efficiently.
The defense let down the offense bringing an end to the 2022 season. Now, we move on to the offseason where there will certainly be significant turnover on the defensive side of the ball. It is inevitable.
Mitch Massman is a lifelong Vikings fan. His first heartbreak was the 1998 NFC championship game. His full-time job is as an economic development professional in rural Minnesota. He fantasizes about the Vikings winning a Super Bowl one day, but until then he will write about the Vikings. Follow him on Twitter @skol_vikings3
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