Andrew Zimmel | KBMW 1450
Mike Zimmer is in trouble, and the only person who can help him is himself. I hate to say it, but I fear that the Vikings’ Head Coach is heading towards what we call a “tarmac game” in the industry, meaning that if his squad falls short to Detroit on Sunday- there will be some sort of coaching change.
The last time the Vikings fired a head coach mid season was Brad Childress. After starting the season 3-7 Childress and the Vikings got stomped by Green Bay 31-3 at home in 2010. Childress was fired after winning the division and a NFC Championship appearance the year before. Childress, like Zimmer, was a two time division winner and had an All Pro running back to go along with some stellar wide outs. Division wins don’t matter to fans in Minnesota who have been waiting for their team to win the title for the better part of 50 years. Zimmer is heading to three playoff appearance in eight years. (FUN FACT: Zimmer is already top 3 in wins as a Vikings Head Coach, trialing only Bud Grant and Dennis Green).
The Detroit Lions come into US Bank Stadium winless and losers, with a similar hand of bad luck. In the off season, the Lions fired their bumbling defensive minded head coach, Matt Patricia, and sent franchise QB Matthew Stafford to Los Angeles for former number one overall pick Jarred Goff. Since then, Goff has looked serviceable but underwhelming and new Head Coach Dan Campbell- a former Lions player himself- has looked a overwhelmed and like a first year head coach.
Even with all the changes, the NFL is a league of makes and misses. The Lions have lost to divisional foes Green Bay and Chicago. Both the Packers and Bears were coming off embarrassing losses the week before and took their frustrations out on Chicago. The Lions lost on a league record 66 yard field goal with time expiring when Kicker Justin Tucker cemented himself in the history books and eked out a win for the Baltimore Ravens. Yeah, the Lions have caught the wrong teams (and kickers) on the wrong day.
That’s why it is imperative that the Vikings, playing their last home game till the end of October, to end their three game homestand with a victory. According to Dalvin Cook, the Vikings will have their Pro Bowl running back for the game Sunday. Cook is still recovering from an ankle injury that kept him out of most of last week’s 14-7 loss to the Cleveland Browns. The good news however is Anthony Barr, who has missed 18 consecutive games dating back to last season, will finally make his trumpet return.
And the defense absolutely needs the boost. Mike Zimmer, a defensive minded coach who won a Super Bowl as a defensive backs coach while with the Cowboys in 1995, has said in the past that the interior defensive line needs work getting pressure on quarterbacks. Currently, the entire defense needs help.
In the age of the internet, anyone can cut clips together into a “sizzle reel” or a highlight tape. The same can be said for the opposite. The freezing cold, lowlight tape, and right now Patrick Peterson is working on having the coldest one of all. Part of the problem is that the Vikings run a defense that will have their primary defensive back shadow the other teams’ stud receiver. That’s how you end up with Peterson getting spun around by DK Metcalf or blown away by Ja’Marr Chase. It also doesn’t help that Peterson has no help. The Vikings have a patch work solution with Bashaud Breeland taking the majority of the snaps on the other side of Peterson, Mackenzie Alexander and Kris Boyd filling in, and safeties Harrison Smith and Xavier Woods trying to cover for everyone’s backside.
It doesn’t help that the Vikings spent millions of dollars this offseason to upgrade a pass rush that is almost non-existent. To add insult to injury, the run defense hasn’t materialized either. The Vikings have allowed almost five yards a carry, good for third worse in the league.
Enter Detroit, who’s running game is not nearly as impressive as Cleveland’s, but still formidable enough that if given the opportunity will wound you. Add in TJ Hockenson, the winner of the “Jason Witten Award” for a Tight End who is great but stuck on a crappy team, and you have a pass catching-run blocking option that the Vikings haven’t shown to have an answer for so far this season.
I am shocked to tell you that I have no worries about the offense. Kirk Cousins has played very well (meaning that if the Vikings do finally string together some wins, expect some heartache later), and Alexander Mattison has stepped up for Cook while injured. So much so that Offensive Coordinator Klint Kubiack has said that the game plan won’t change, no matter what Cook’s status is. Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen are still all stars and the offensive line, which has been attacked mercilessly on social media but actually has been pretty good so far this year, is still in tact.
If the Vikings do not win on Sunday, Mike Zimmer will not be coaching next Sunday against the Panthers is my “not so bold” prediction.
Prediction: Lions 10 Vikings 20