Since the Storybook NFC Championship Run of 2017, the Vikings Failed for 2 Main Reasons
Expectations were sky-high for the Minnesota Vikings — after they were crushed — following the 2017 NFC Championship game. With a piecemealed group of substitute players, Minnesota, led by head coach Mike Zimmer, shimmied to a conference championship four years ago.
Most Vikings loyalists believed the team needed some tweaks to effectuate another playoff run under Zimmer’s tutelage, but that never occurred. The team was semi-close in 2019 when the Vikings lost in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, but that loss to the San Francisco 49ers was never all that competitive.
The Vikings front office spent top dollar on quarterback Kirk Cousins two months after the aforementioned loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship. But with Cousins in charge, Minnesota has missed the postseason in three of four seasons.
So, what went wrong?
Two major blunders prevented the Vikings from returning to 2017 form: a) The defense collapsed two years ago b) The general manager and coaches could never figure out the pass-protection woes of the offensive line.
Foremost, on defense, this was the trajectory of Zimmer’s defense from 2014 to 2021, per EPA/play:
2014 = 22nd
2015 = 13th
2016 = 3rd
2017 = 2nd
2018 = 2nd
2019 = 7th
2020 = 25th
2021 = 17th
And that fall-off proceeding the 2019 playoff season is when Zimmer’s seat became hot, in retrospect. The Vikings built a foundation of defense — and that foundation experienced an earthquake of exiting veterans like Linval Joseph, Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes, Everson Griffen (kind of), and other role players.
If a defense-first coach’s defense falters in wholesale fashion, it is unlikely the offense will suddenly take over ownership of the system because the coach simply doesn’t operate that way. Zimmer infamously opined before the 2020 season started, “I’ve never had a bad defense,” and that moment served as a jinx or curse. The defense, for the most part, was never Zimmerian again, sans a few flashes in a handful of games.
In many ways, the Vikings emulated the New Orleans Saints from the mid-2010s.
Why were the Vikings unable to morph into an offensive juggernaut? Easy. It’s the plague experienced by the franchise for about a decade — a poor pass-protecting offensive line. This statistic was posted on Twitter by Pro Football Focus last offseason.
In 2021 — again — the Vikings offensive line scraped the bottom of the barrel for pass protection. It’s maddening for Vikings fans.
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The team’s humongous maneuver four years ago was the acquisition of Cousins — a relatively immobile quarterback who can be deadly with time in the pocket. Alas, year in and year out, the offensive line flounders via pass protection. There has to be a human somewhere inside the Vikings organization that realizes this elementary reality.
Surround the pocket passer with pass protection.
To date, the franchise has not, so Cousins must fling his 30 touchdowns per season amid the mayhem. To make matters worse, the one valid criticism of Cousins is suspect pocket presence. Therefore, when his already-bad trenches collapse, the carnage is amplified.
Since the storybook 2017 run, Minnesota tried valiantly to replicate the dream season, but a declining defense and consistently bad offensive line hindered the blueprint.
Perhaps the next regime will recognize these items and go forth accordingly.
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).