Snap Reactions after Packers-Vikings

Snap Reactions after Packers-Vikings
Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports.

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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. This game ensured Zimmer finishes eight seasons as the Vikings coach with an underwater record versus the Packers: 7-8-1.
  6. 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.
  7. The Vikings could not run the ball. Under Zimmer, when the team cannot do that, it typically loses. End of story.
  8. The Packers win was the Vikings first loss by eight or more points in 2021.
  9. Bradbury’s “reception” after the Conklin assault was arguably the highlight of the evening.
  10. 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).

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