Film: Vikings defense keeps bending, but doesn't break in run of red-zone stands

Drive after drive, the Jets marched into Vikings territory during the second half of Sunday's 27-22 win. Fists clenched and teeth gnarled across Vikings fandom as the Jets continually threatened to score.

But days after coordinator Ed Donatell defended his 31st-ranked defense by saying "yards never won or lost a game," the Vikings defense took that to heart by allowing a ton of yardage but only one touchdown in six straight red-zone trips for New York.

If safety Harrison Smith was stressed while backed up in his own end zone, that was long gone by the time reporters approached his locker inside U.S. Bank Stadium.

"It gets pretty fun, though," Smith said. "I don't know why. You feel like you're just kind of a kid playing ball when everybody knows there's only so much grass to play with."

Jets quarterback Mike White's fairytale run with New York came to life again after a rough start, in which Donatell let a Vikings safety play shallow on occasion and they tackled well underneath. But after halftime was a different story. The Jets got chunk after chunk thanks to inconsistent cornerback play and the biggest run the Vikings have allowed all season.

The deciding factors revolved around how the Vikings turned White back into a pumpkin in the red zone. White completed just 6 of 17 throws for 24 yards inside the Minnesota 20 while five different Vikings defenders got their hands on passes for four deflections and an interception. Why such an improvement when backed up to their own goal line?

"There's just not as much space to defend," head coach Kevin O'Connell said. "It allows us to naturally tighten some things up and trigger downhill."

"I give our safeties a ton of credit for how they've impacted the game in those situations," O'Connell added before praising the physicality of the front seven, too.

When asked about the Jets' red-zone issues, White said the Vikings deployed "looks that we weren't scouting for."

Here's a look at safety Camryn Bynum's game-sealing interception.

Needing a play, the Jets essentially go back to a similar double in-breaking route concept that helped them convert a fourth down earlier with a 31-yard throw to receiver Corey Davis. White targets Davis again. But White said he did this time because the Vikings' attention on star receiver Garrett Wilson, who had eight catches for 162 yards, took him out of the play.

White said he thought Smith was also in position to take away receiver Elijah Moore, who runs the inside crossing route. Edge rusher D.J. Wonnum beats the left tackle to pressure White, who said he felt like he had to get the ball out. White reverted to what worked on an earlier down, but Bynum breaks on the throw.

"They essentially took Garrett away in the boundary," White said postgame. "Harrison Smith was waiting on Elijah, and the safety just drove on Corey. We thought at the time he was our best option, felt the rush on me, so I didn't want to finish up with the ball in my hand. Just wanted to give our guy an opportunity and see what was going to happen."

How did the Jets end the game with six straight red-zone drives? And how did the Vikings get stops? Here's a walkthrough of those drives from watching the game again.

The Vikings defense entered Sunday ranked 27th in points per red-zone trip allowed, per Football Outsiders, but recent results will nudge that ranking up. Through the past two games, the Vikings have surrendered just one touchdown in nine red-zone drives.