Kevin O’Connell reveals Vikings’ current plan for Ed Donatell

January 19, 2023 ndowd

Minnesota Vikings fans want defensive coordinator Ed Donatell fired after an embarrassing playoff exit.

This season was a tale of two units for the Minnesota Vikings, whose campaign ended last weekend in a loss to the New York Giants. Now, the Vikings enter an offseason full of questions.

On one side of the ball this season, things went fairly smooth. Offensively speaking, the Vikings could score points. They boast one of the league’s best wide receivers in Justin Jefferson, a strong run game with Dalvin Cook and Kirk Cousins, who had a very good 2022 campaign.

For the most part, the Vikings didn’t have trouble putting points on the board. But, when it came to the other side of the ball?

Let’s just say things could have gone better.

Vikings fans have had enough of defensive coordinator Ed Donatell after this past season, especially watching the Giants’ offense lay it on Minnesota in the Wildcard Round. Now, fans might just get what they have wanted for several weeks now.

#Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said he will be doing a “thorough evaluation” of Ed Donatell and the coaching staff before making any decisions moving forward.

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) January 18, 2023

It sure sounds like Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell isn’t opposed to firing defensive coordinator Ed Donatell

New York put up 431 yards of offense and 31 points on the Vikings last weekend, going on to create quite the upset in the NFC bracket.

Daniel Jones had one of the best overall games of his career, and it came on the road and on a big stage. Who would have guessed?

Jones finished with 301 yards passing, two passing touchdowns, and 78 yards on the ground. For a guy who historically had trouble taking care of the football, he graduated to being a guy that simply wasn’t the reason his team lost.

Against Minnesota, Jones was the reason his team won, and Donatell should feel extremely uncomfortable about that fact.

During the regular season, the Vikings ranked 31st in total defense, giving up nearly 390 yards per game. They were second-to-last in passing defense, giving up 265.6 yards per game through the air.

As for their run defense, it wasn’t much better, as the Vikings ranked 20th against the run in the regular season.

Donatell’s unit was all-around disappointing this season, to say the least, and ended up being the reason why Minnesota’s season fell short.

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