Vikings must be honest with themselves in offseason

The Minnesota Vikings have a long offseason after winning 13 games and the NFC North, only to be one-and-done in the playoffs.

Honesty is often difficult. It’s most difficult with yourself in tough moments.

For the Minnesota Vikings, such an hour is at hand. After going 13-4 and breezing to the NFC North title, the Vikings faced an inexperienced New York Giants squad without a star quarterback or notable weapons on the outside.

On paper, it was the perfect matchup for the defensively-challenged Vikings. And then Minnesota allowed Daniel Jones to go for 379 total yards while the Giants racked up 31 points in an upset victory.

The enduring image of the defeat will be Kirk Cousins, on fourth-and-8 with 1:44 remaining and no timeouts in his pocket, throwing for a three-yard gain.

So where now? What’s next for the Vikings?

Minnesota Vikings: What’s next after disappointing playoff loss?

The first step is being realistic. Minnesota was never a true 13-win team. It went 11-0 in one-score games until the postseason. The Vikings employed the 31st-ranked defense, which checked in 30th in yards per play against, 24th in pressure rate, 22nd in sacks and 21st in the red zone.

In that vein, probably best to move on from defensive coordinator Ed Donatell.

Next comes free agency. Minnesota is projected to be $19.4 million over the cap, with very few notable pending free agents. Still, the Vikings won’t be able to add much until the draft.

To fix the defense, Minnesota general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah needs to discover rookies and cheap veterans who can fit into whatever scheme is brought in for 2023. It won’t be ideal, but it’s his reasonable path considering the circumstances.

The good news? The Vikings have a good, young head coach who can design an offense. Minnesota has the pieces to be explosive with receivers Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen, running back Dalvin Cook and tight end T.J. Hockenson, but that makes for a fun watch, not a true contender without substantial upgrades elsewhere.

After another tough postseason loss, Vikings fans will justifiably demand change. They’ll likely get it at defensive coordinator.

But elsewhere? Minnesota doesn’t have many moves to make outside of crushing the draft.

Honesty is often tough. For the Vikings, it’s both essential and challenging.