Last Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings lost 31-24 to the New York Giants in the wild card round of the NFC playoffs. Second-year quarterback Daniel Jones enjoyed one of the best games of his young career, achieving 301 passing yards, two touchdowns and a passer rating of 114.1. I was. The Giants had his second-most points and third-most total yards (431 yards) in a game of the year.
Four days later, the Vikings fired defensive coordinator Ed Donatelle after just one season with the team.
There were many valid reasons for Donatel’s release from duties. The Vikings defense ranked him 28th in points allowed and 27th in DVOA. One of the most seasoned defensive rosters in the NFL.
But for many, last week’s Wild Card game wasn’t all about the Vikings’ badness. Instead, it was about Jones’ breakout game and New York finally finding their groove on the offense. It looked like
The Philadelphia Eagles hastily put an end to that story. When facing the Giants in Saturday night’s divisional round, the Eagles proved that the Giants’ offense had made no noticeable progress. Their success in the wild card round was almost entirely due to the formidable Viking defenses they faced.
The Giants were utterly defeated by the Eagles in a 38-for-7 blowout. Jones and the Giants offense shut out the first half, managing just 227 yards the entire game. Daniel Jones finished with a season-low 53.8 passer rating, was sacked five times, and threw his seventh interception of the season.
In other words, after nearly setting season highs in both yards and points last week, the Giants set a new low in points earned and were three yards away before hitting rock bottom in yards.
But the Giants’ offensive performance against the Eagles was much closer to par for the 2022 season. was recorded.
Admittedly, the Eagles’ performance on Saturday was commendable. They have one of the best defenses in the league, ranking him eighth in points allowed and sixth in the DVOA. But this Giants offense that seemed completely lost on Saturday against the Eagles didn’t even need to punt the ball until the end of the third quarter against the Vikings.
There was a rift between the Eagles and Vikings defenses, with the offense able to carry Minnesota to the playoffs, but the team’s Achilles heel was ultimately exposed and continues to be exposed after being eliminated from the playoffs. .
