FanPost

4 Downs to 1-3

1st Down: Well, that was the game we were all afraid of, right?!. After two weeks of seemingly miraculous solid play, the offensive line crumbled as it has so many times in the Zimmer era. Teddy & Case could find ways to win when that happened--Kirk (despite how much better he is than those two when protected) cannot. It truly is that simple.

2nd Down: It would be easy to look at the final score and think "hey, the Vikings defense only gave up 14 points". I'm not willing to give out that free pass. Not when they allow 184 yards on the ground. I've said it before and will (likely) say it again: this defense was recalibrated specifically to stop the run (hence the Dalvin Tomlinson & Michael Pierce additions). I'm sure at least part of the goal was to make opposing offenses one-dimensional while Zimmer worked to coach up a young secondary. But as the late, great Frank Sinatra once crooned: "you can't have one without the other".

3rd Down: Maybe this is 100% coincidence, but the offense looked far worse than last week when Dalvin Cook was out. I'm not doubting Cook's star-level potential whatsoever, but it makes one think the perhaps with #33 back in tow, Zim decided to put the clamps on Klint a bit. Again, the protection (or lack thereof) from the o-line makes it hard to suss this out. Something to watch going forward.

4th Down: Here's an interesting idea to ponder (sorry): when was the last time a Zimmer defense dominated an opposing team? I mean really, really just gave the opposition no quarter. It hasn't been this year yet. It certainly never happened last year. Maybe the first half of the 2019 Saints wild card playoff game? Complain about Zim's meddling with the offense all you like, but his inability to get anywhere close to the usual Zimmer-level defensive watermark is what will likely prevent him from finishing out this season wearing the headset. When a "defensive mastermind" loses his ability to keep the defense above water, it's time for a change.

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.