Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer. Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Coach Mike Zimmer’s message to his players a day after the Minnesota Vikings bungled the franchise’s biggest game in years was part nurturing and part kick in the pants.
“I told them it’s OK to be upset (Monday),” Zimmer said less than 24 hours after his team lost to the Green Bay Packers 30-13 at TCF Bank Stadium. “But I want them to watch some tape (Tuesday) on Atlanta and when they come in on Wednesday, they better be smiling because it’s time to get going. The biggest mistake that we could make is if we let that loss become more than one. You get beat once, shame on us. But two of them and then it’s shame on me.”
Well, you get the idea. Zimmer was trying to pick up the pieces from an uncharacteristically sloppy game while trying to remind the Vikings that they’re still 7-3, still tied with the Packers atop the NFC North and still looking at what could be six huge games down the stretch, culminating with a rematch with the Packers in Lambeau Field on Jan. 3.
“We made too many mistakes to win the football game,” said Zimmer, whose team had eight penalties for a season-high 110 yards, lost a fumble, missed an extra point and gave up a 70-yard kickoff return among its many foibles. “It’s a good learning experience for us. It’s important that we move on and not let this linger. I’m disappointed in our performance, but I’m not discouraged about our future. I still believe in this football team and I still believe in everything about us. We just have to figure out who we are and stay true to who we are and not let outside influences affect us. And just go ahead and play.”
That starts in Atlanta on Sunday. The Falcons started the year 5-0 but have lost three straight and are 6-4. The Packers also had lost three straight before outplaying the Vikings.
After Atlanta, the Vikings play the Seattle Seahawks (5-5) before a short week sends them to Arizona (8-2) for a Thursday night game against the Cardinals. And, in case you’re wondering, the Vikings are 0-2 against teams that currently have a winning record.
“I talked to them this morning about (moving on mentally),” Zimmer said. “Their mood was down, as probably it should be. The good thing about that is they care. If they didn’t care, they would come in here laughing and joking. I’ve been around teams like that, too. But this team cares. It’s important to them.”
REPORT CARD VS. PACKERS
–PASSING OFFENSE: C. Teddy Bridgewater played well for a guy under siege. He was sacked six times as the offensive line collapsed far too often, but still completed 25 of 37 passes for 296 yards, one touchdown, no turnovers and a 100.7 passer rating. Bridgewater also held the ball too long on occasion, but he was able to escape a lot of pressure, running four times for a career-high 43 yards. Tight end Kyle Rudolph had his best receiving game of the season with six catches for 106 yards, including a career-long 47-yard touchdown. Bridgewater’s throw on the touchdown was made possible when Adrian Peterson, an average pass protector at best, picked up a blitzer who came free up the middle.
–RUSHING OFFENSE: F. First-half penalties took the Vikings out of their normal run-oriented rhythm. Peterson, the NFL rushing leader, had only 13 carries for 45 yards, his lowest number of carries and yards since the season-opening debacle in San Francisco. Throw out Bridgewater’s four scrambles, which weren’t designed runs, and the Vikings ran the ball only 14 times for 51 yards. Peterson’s fourth-quarter fumble in Packers territory pretty much sealed the loss.
–PASS DEFENSE: C. The Vikings did some good things against Aaron Rodgers, who completed only 47 percent of his passes. They sacked Rodgers twice and got some decent pressure on other occasions, but Rodgers escaped the pocket to make plays on too many occasions. One of those plays was vintage Rodgers, a 27-yard touchdown strike into a tiny window in the corner of the end zone. But other plays were the product of Vikings’ sloppiness. The Packers took a 16-6 lead with a touchdown right before halftime because of three defensive penalties on third down. One was a 50-yard pass interference penalty on Terence Newman. One was illegal contact on Anthony Barr in the red zone. And one was a roughing-the-passer penalty on Linval Joseph, also in the red zone.
–RUSH DEFENSE: C-minus. Eddie Lacy had 22 carries for 100 yards, his first 100-yard game of the year. The Vikings missed two tackles on his longest run, a 27-yarder up the gut. Overall, the Packers ran for 124 yards on 34 carries. The average of 3.6 wasn’t bad, but the Packers were consistently the more physical and hungry team at the line of scrimmage.
–SPECIAL TEAMS: D-minus. One of the best special teams units in the league turned in its worst effort of the year. Kicker Blair Walsh missed his third PAT of the season. Kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson ruined a return to the Vikings’ 49-yard line when he was flagged 15 yards for head butting the kicker. There was another penalty on special teams and punter Jeff Locke didn’t live up to his vital role in the team’s complementary style of play. Locke had a touchback from the Packers’ 41-yard line and a 27-yarder that was downed at the Packers’ 20-yard line. The kick coverage team also gave up a 70-yard return that led to a five-yard drive for a field goal. The only real bright spot was Jerick McKinnon partially blocking a punt.
–COACHING: D. The Packers were the better team. The more physical. The hungrier team. But perhaps the big moment was too big for a young Vikings team playing its biggest Packers game since 2009. The team had eight penalties for a season-high 110 yards. Before the game, coach Mike Zimmer was praised for having the least penalized team in the league. So it only stands to reason that he share some of the blame for the sloppiness that led to so many dumb penalties.
Offensively, coordinator Norv Turner was fighting unfavorable downs and distances because of all the penalties. He wasn’t able to strike a good balance between sticking with Peterson and opening up the passing game. The Vikings couldn’t run the ball, but also couldn’t protect Bridgewater. Turner didn’t do much to fix that during the game.
