The Minnesota Vikings feasted on the New England Patriots rather than turkey on Thanksgiving night. Which Vikings didn’t get dessert due to their performances?
The Minnesota Vikings got the taste of a beatdown out of their mouths and replaced it with a victory, and turkey, on Thanksgiving night. The Vikings went toe to toe and back and forth with the New England Patriots on Thursday and walked away with a 33-26 victory.
Minnesota’s offense was on fire all night long. Kirk Cousins looked like “Kirko Chainz” once again, picking apart a very good Patriots’ defense to the tune of 299 yards and three touchdowns.
Justin Jefferson was his No. 1 target, hauling in nine passes for 139 yards and one touchdown. The offensive line was solid in pass protection and tight end T.J. Hockenson notched his first touchdown in purple.
The defense was where things weren’t so pretty. New England has one of the worst offenses in the league, yet they had no trouble moving the ball on the Vikings.
Patriots quarterback Mac Jones threw for nearly 400 yards and two touchdowns, as Minnesota couldn’t get any pressure for most of the game. It was frustrating to watch, but at least the good guys came out on top.
Who are a few members of the Vikings whose performances on Thanksgiving would not get them an extra piece of pie?
Ed Donatell – Defensive Coordinator
Ed Donatell was coming off a game where his defense gave up 40 points to the Dallas Cowboys. It was a performance where they basically allowed the Cowboys to do whatever they wanted to them, giving little resistance whether it was a run or pass play.
The Patriots coming to town would seem like the perfect chance to get back on track and regain some of the confidence this side of the ball had been building in recent weeks, as they are one of the worst offenses in the entire league. That didn’t happen though.
Donatell again played things very softly. He stuck with his base defense for the majority of the game, rarely calling a blitz. This allowed Mac Jones to throw the ball down the field, hitting receivers who were usually open against the Vikings’ fourth-string cornerback Duke Shelley.
The Patriots’ game plan was to get the ball out quickly to neutralize Smith and Hunter, and that worked for the majority of the game. When Jones did drop back, he had plenty of time because he was usually facing a four-man rush that was neutralized by his offensive line.
To allow 409 total yards and 26 points to an offense that has struggled all year to move the ball is inexcusable. When you are down to your fourth-string corner, who you just signed off the practice squad, it might make sense to generate some pressure upfront so he can’t be taken advantage of. Instead, Donatell played it safe, and the Vikings barely escaped with a victory.
The way Donatell has used his personnel this season has been baffling. He continues to play shell looks instead of being aggressive and attacking. The team is 9-2, but one has to think if there’s a coach who is going to be replaced this offseason, it will be Donatell.