3 most disappointing Vikings in the win over the Jets in Week 13

Danielle Hunter – OLB

Did Danielle Hunter even play in this game? It’s a fair question because his impact on the outcome was very minimal. The Vikings again failed to execute many blitzes in this game, instead relying on pressure from their front five. Like the majority of the season, the pressure just wasn’t there.

Za’Darius Smith was quiet as well, but at least he had a batted-down pass. Hunter finished the day with three total tackles, and a pass defended. That was it. This guy is an absolute freak who should be able to consistently beat one-on-one matchups. It isn’t happening nearly enough this season, and the game against the Jets may have been Hunter’s quietest of the season.

Part of this has to be with how Donatell is using him. He’s dropping Hunter back into coverage far too frequently. Why he decides to use his best pass rusher in coverage and then refuse to blitz is very confusing.

While Donatell is part of the problem, blame has to be placed on Hunter too. He isn’t dominating one-on-ones the way he used to and this is allowing teams to double-team other members of the Vikings’ defensive line, and the result is very bad offenses being able to put up yardage and points.

Hunter is one of the best pass rushers in the entire NFL, but his performance against the New York Jets was extremely underwhelming.