A Loss to Lions Would Create Wrath Not Yet Seen in Zimmer Era
Dustin Baker
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Nothing is a given in a season when a once-thought-good football team is 1-3 through four weeks. So when the Minnesota Vikings host the Detroit Lions in Week 5, a mixture of relief and pins and needles exists.
All-time, the Vikings utterly dominate the Lions – downright mastery by the purple team. In the historical series, Minnesota owns a 78-39-2 (.664) record over Detroit. For divisional foes in any realm of professional football, this is about as lopsided as it gets. Too, the Vikings have downed the Lions on seven straight occasions. From the moment Kirk Cousins arrived on the scene, Minnesota has been unbeatable versus Detroit – a rare tip of the cap to the Vikings signal-caller. Cousins is usually the villain for many fans, but he’s innocent against Detroit.
With the recent success in mind – coupled with Detroit’s current 0-4 standing in the NFC North – the Vikings Week 5 matchup against the Lions is the almighty of must-wins. In fact, this contest has the gravest must-win stakes to date in the Mike Zimmer era. Never has the pressure been more intense not to lose. Indeed, other games since 2014 were more important than this Week 5 game, yet the fallout of a hypothetical loss would be damn near apocalyptic. Next to the Houston Texans and arguably the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Lions are among the worst teams in the NFL. Minnesota is coming off a demoralizing home loss to the Cleveland Browns, so righting the ship at home against anybody, let alone the Lions, is required.
Calls for Zimmer’s termination are already present. Because the Vikings alternate good seasons with mediocre ones, some folks wanted to end the Zimmer experiment a few years ago. The noise began in the shadows after the 2018 season when Minnesota collapsed down the stretch. Cousins was acquired to capitalize on the 2017 NFC Championship glory one season later. Zimmer and Cousins didn’t do that. Fast forward to 2021, and the Vikings are teetering on missing the postseason for the third time in four years with Cousins and Zimmer jointly in charge. That ain’t gonna cut it.
While the Vikings, in all likelihood, will dispatch the Lions with relative ease – that’s how it goes with Cousins against Detroit – a loss would bang the drum for change louder than ever before. It is unclear if general manager Rick Spielman is “safe” for 2022 employment, but his head coach is very much in limbo. The same goes for the QB1.
Underperforming at 1-3, the Vikings actually have a roadmap to get back to par. The Lions game should be a win. The next game, at the Carolina Panthers, is certainly winnable – if the good version of Zimmer’s Vikings feels like making the trip southeasterly. That’s always the mystery as of late. Will the productive offense be paired with a stingy defense in a given week? It hasn’t really happened in 2021. In the first three games, the offense feasted while the defense lagged. Versus Cleveland, the inverse was on display. The offense was anemic, but the defense kept the team in the game. Again, this accountability of consistency lies at the feet of Zimmer. His job is to ensure all facets of the team are ready to win. So far, the 2021 season is not a place for multiple sides of the ball firing on all cylinders – at the same.
Finally, the point spread is heavy on Vikings. Oddsmakers believe Minnesota will be triumphant by about eight or nine points. Gambling doesn’t expressly matter to x’s and o’s of football, but the odds do illuminate public opinion. The Vikings should beat the Lions by a touchdown or more.
If they do not, get ready for fury not seen regarding the Vikings since 2013. To his credit, Zimmer has never steered the Vikings to irrelevance or a record worse than 7-9. A loss to Detroit would serve as breadcrumbs indicating the season was trending far worse than 7-9. Zimmer might last the rest of 2021, mainly because his coaching staff does not have a step-in-and-coach personality type. But failing to win this week would be the first tangible clue the Vikings are fully on a collision course with change.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).