Snap Reactions after Packers-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.
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- That’s a wrap. The Vikings are mathematically eliminated from postseason contention, marking the third of four seasons in the Kirk Cousins era that the team’s season ends before the wildcard round.
- The Vikings weren’t cut out to beat an Aaron Rodgers-led team in arctic weather while Green Bay chased homefield advantge — especially with Sean Mannion at quarterback. It just wasn’t ever going to happen.
- It’s still curious to spitball which person will be “blamed” for the last two seasons, vacilatting between Mike Zimmer or Kirk Cousins. There is a strong possbility one of the men stays with the team into 2022, maintaining continuity. Zimmer is probably the odd man out.
- Fans feverishly seethed for a Kellen Mond start. Don’t you think the Vikings would play him if he was wonderful behind the scenes? It’s not a grand Zimmer anti-rookie conspiracy. The man just isn’t ready, evidently.
- This game ensured Zimmer finishes eight seasons as the Vikings coach with an underwater record versus the Packers: 7-8-1.
- For those wondering — because it felt like the Vikings could go scoreless for a while — Minnesota hasn’t been shut out in a game since 2007. A 34-0 loss at Lambeau Field.
- The Vikings could not run the ball. Under Zimmer, when the team cannot do that, it typically loses. End of story.
- The Packers win was the Vikings first loss by eight or more points in 2021.
- Bradbury’s “reception” after the Conklin assault was arguably the highlight of the evening.
- Again, fasten your purple seatbelts. Change is ahead for the Vikings, particularly after a thrashing at Lambeau Field. Those bode well for no one in the organization.
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).