VikingLord wrote: ↑Tue Dec 28, 2021 10:29 am
J. Kapp 11 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 27, 2021 7:49 pm
We had 8 passes defended, which I believe was a season high. So if you didn’t see good coverage, I would suggest you simply missed it.
I must have missed it. I'm not trying to be facetious or anything. I honestly don't recall seeing particularly good coverage from the secondary. Dantzler and Alexander in particular stood out giving wide cushions consistently, falling down, failing to close down. I recall seeing Ram receivers running wide open several times. Those things stand out more than 8 passes defensed, but
maybe at this point in the season I'm just more inclined to remember the failures than the successes.
J. Kapp 11 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 27, 2021 7:49 pm
Never once did I say the defense was good enough, which I assume you mean in an overall sense for the season. It’s not a championship defense. But in this game, yes it was good enough to win. The Vikings gave up 359 total yards (just 159 in the second half), which is a shade over what the Rams’ defense averages this season (they rank 15th in yards). In this era of offense, that’s pretty decent. Our defense gave up 23 points (the other 7 came on the punt return). Again, not dominating, but good enough to win.
I think you're right. I think the defense did play well enough to win had the offense held up its end of the bargain and the special teams did as well.
It still wasn't good defense, though. The Rams did what they wanted on the ground and the Vikings couldn't stop it. Not early and not late either, and that has been going on all year against pretty much every team they've faced, especially at the end of the halves. Horrific breakdowns all year.
You've hit the nail on the head with what I think is going on here. This team has conditioned us to remember the failures. In fact, I'd say they've conditioned us to expect failure.
And I agree, the most frustrating thing about this season has been the defense. Yes, the offense at times has no sense of itself. By and large, Klint Kubiak has been awful as a playcaller. But there's so much talent on the offensive side of the ball that they still consistently put up 25+ points.
But the defense. Ugh.
What's most infuriating to me is their failure to perform in crucial situations. When the Vikings lead late. At the end of halves. Big third downs. I've never seen a team that can rank in the top of the league in stopping opponents on third down, but when it's at a crucial point in the game, they ALWAYS give up the first down. And fourth down? Forget about it. We're gonna give it up, almost every time. I sometimes wonder why opposing coaches ever kick field goals against us. Look at that fourth-and-short after the challenge by Zimmer. Stafford fumbles the snap and still picks it up.
Also high on the list is this team's inability to stop the run. You've got Michael Pierce, Dalvin Tomlinson and Eric Kendricks in the middle, yet opponents somehow gash us time after time inside the tackles. I don't remember a lot of really long runs, like 25 yards or more. But there are TONS of 8, 9, 10, 12 yard runs. The kind that give an offense momentum, especially on early downs, and lead to long, time-consuming drives. It's so deflating.
So yeah, I get it. Sony Michel running for 130 yards is not a good look. But the defense did manage to keep a fairly explosive Rams offense at bay. It was not good enough defense to win a championship, or even a playoff game. But it was good enough to win this game. Of course, for all intents and purposes, this WAS the Vikings playoff game.
I don't know. The only thing I do know is that this team, as currently constructed, is not working.