Snap Reactions after Lions-Vikings
From a suggestion by a reader, we author a “snap reactions” weekly piece detailing thoughts and analysis after a Minnesota Vikings game.
This will be off-the-cuff, a wee bit “random,” and hopefully insightful.
- While Mike Zimmer will be fired soon — probably Black Monday — the transaction is unlikely to happen Monday because the Vikings play football in four days.
- Minnesota will face a Pittsburgh Steelers team that is firmly embedded in a playoff chase, so the notion that Mike Tomlin’s team would be an easy home win for the Vikings was outlandishly premature.
- Kirk Cousins produced another 4th Quarterback comeback on the road. And just like before, something unrelated to him choked it away. Cincinnati, Arizona, Baltimore, and now Detroit are the 2021 case studies.
- The Zimmer-led Vikings defense has not closed out a single game this season. It is maddening.
- The 2020 season could reasonably be “excused” by a litany of Vikings injuries. But two years in a row is no longer a forum for excuses, particularly when playing the Lions.
- The nasty part about the injuries is the quick turnaround to Thursday Night Football. All of these statuses of Sunday’s injured players will be seriously in doubt for Thursday, too.
- At least the Vikings special teams are commendable. Such was not the case last year.
- If Zimmer was somehow fired before Black Monday, expect Andre Patterson to coach the team. He’s really the only man on the staff with previous head-coaching experience, albeit Cal Poly in the mid-1990s.
- With the Washington Football Team downing the Las Vegas Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers losing to the Seattle Seahawks, the Vikings currently hold a 28% chance to reach the postseason.
- Since the start of 2020, Minnesota has a 12-16 record. That ain’t good enough for a team with Justin Jefferson, Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen, Eric Kendricks, Harrison Smith as a nucleus.
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).
Also Read: The One for the Vikings That Got Away
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