The Vikings gave up 464 yards to the Lions in last Sunday’s 34-23 loss to the Lions and that was actually a slight improvement over the previous week.
The Jets had 486 yards in Week 13 and the Vikings have allowed more than 400 yards to each of their last five opponents. The team now ranks last in the league in yards allowed and they’ve been outscored 313-312 on the season despite having a 10-3 record.
A run like that leads to questions for the head coach about possible changes on defense and Kevin O’Connell fielded them on Monday. Specifically, O’Connell was asked if he’s considered taking defensive play calling duties away from defensive coordinator Ed Donatell.
“You know you’re always looking at things that you think might be — what could be a possible answer to help the guys play better and be more consistent, but as of right now, no, that’s not something I’m considering,” O’Connell said, via Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
O’Connell noted that the team can’t “completely change the scheme outright” at this point in the season and there’s not much to do on the personnel front, so there are limits on how much can change in the final weeks. Finding a way to shore up some of the problems will be essential to Minnesota doing more than just making the playoffs, however.
