FanPost

4 Downs to 3-3

1st Down: Whenever an organization contemplates a coaching change, it always hinges on the decision of who is "at fault": the players or the head coach. With that in mind, let's look at some stats from last Sunday's victory at Carolina:

-Kirk Cousins: 33/48, 373 yards, 3 TD

-Dalvin Cook: 29 carries, 140 yards, 1 TD

-Adam Thielen: 11-126, 1 TD

-Justin Jefferson: 8-80

-K.J. Osborn: 6-78, 1 TD

All told, the Viking offense churned through a whopping 571 yards. It took OT to secure the victory. You tell me if talent or coaching is at fault here.

2nd Down: Two weeks in a row now of embarrassing fourth-quarter comebacks from the opposition. Mike Zimmer almost needs a "closer" at this point, or someone to call the plays on the game's final drive(s). While I still generally trust him to scheme up an opponent and make in-game adjustments, his endgame tactics have veered into atrocious territory. Oh yeah--another 118 yards allowed on the ground (I don't care if half of it was from Sam Darnold).

3rd Down: Minnesota may find itself in the oddest of NFL franchise scenarios: they could fire their head coach mid-season (i.e. now) and likely be a better squad for the duration. I honestly believe that. Zim has been unable to meld this defense into a trustworthy unit, and his offensive philosophy continues to put restrictor plates on the team's best chance to win week-in and week-out. A 3-3 firing will never happen, of course, especially with the conservative Wilf ownership. But short of hoisting Lombardi hardware in February '22, Zimmer isn't long for this state. I just wish it could happen now instead of slogging to the inevitable 9-8 (give or take a game) finish.

4th Down: I give this team much criticism, and that is largely because I expect better performance than what has been given to me thus far. But I'll tell you what: the '21 Vikings sure are entertaining--and as a fan there is something to that. If one judges their entire fan-ship strictly on championships, disappointment will be on the docket nearly every season (unless you hailed from New England the past two decades). Remember the 2008 Vikings? Of course you don't. They were a boring pre-Favre Childress team that snuck into the playoffs and got bounced right away. But those '03-'04 squads? Horrible defense, explosive offense, borderline playoff unit--extremely interesting every week! I'm not saying some more "boring wins" wouldn't be appreciated, but one certainly can't say the overall product hasn't been entertaining thus far this year.

This FanPost was created by a registered user of The Daily Norseman, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff of the site. However, since this is a community, that view is no less important.