After falling to the Detroit Lions on Sunday in what was the worst loss of the season, many in Vikings land are calling for the firing of head coach Mike Zimmer. Make no mistake about it, Zimmer contributed heavily to the loss in Detroit, which was the first victory of the season for Dan Campbell’s squad. However, firing him right now wouldn’t make much sense for a couple of reasons.
The Minnesota Vikings are on a short week. They play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night. Any move to kick Zimmer to the curb likely would’ve already been made this week, and doing so now would be highly foolish for a team that has a game to play in two days.
The short week may prove to be a blessing in disguise for Zimmer if the Vikings can pick up a win against Pittsburgh. Some have already poured dirt on top of the whole situation. They refuse to budge regardless of how the rest of the season turns out. It’s hard to blame them. But it’s essential to keep in mind the domino effect that would take place if Zimmer gets the boot.
The Vikings would be in complete scramble mode on a short week. It’s not an efficient step to take for a team that, like it or not, still has a shot at the postseason. If the game were to be played on Sunday, this might be a different conversation. But that isn’t the case.
And there’s one other big reason not to blow this thing up right now.
Minnesota is 5-7, yes. The record is an eyesore to those who thought the Vikings could win the NFC North this year. Any thoughts of that went out the window long ago. The recent win against the Green Bay Packers seems like it happened a decade ago.
But a wild card spot is still in sight. The Washington Football Team and the San Francisco 49ers hold down the last two spots in the NFC with a 6-6 record. Minnesota is trailing both at 5-7. What sort of message would it send to the team if they fired Zimmer now? Getting rid of your head coach signals that the season is beyond the point of repair. It means that ownership doesn’t envision it turning around this season.
Believe it or not, this is likely still a team that has faith in its ability to turn this thing around and make the playoffs. The outside noise seems loud, but it won’t get quieter if they fire Zimmer now. It would only let them know that all hope has been lost.
Some would still prefer to fire Zimmer, even if they think the Vikings could make the playoffs. If they were to clinch a spot, is it likely that the Vikings will make a run to the Super Bowl? No. Only 14 tickets get punched, though. And if there’s one thing this team does excruciatingly well, it’s playing in games that come down to the final possession. Regardless of the opponent’s record, home or away, the Vikings continue to play in nailbiters.
Nobody is excusing the loss to the Lions. It was dreadful. Nobody is giving a pass to Zimmer. His performance deserves to be closely evaluated and heavily critiqued. The issue is that, while this loss would serve as a clear tipping point for Minnesota’s coaching staff in almost every other circumstance, it’s not in this case. The Vikings will be playing on a short week and still have a legitimate shot at the postseason.
Timing is critical in all of this. If Minnesota comes out Thursday, looks flat and disinterested, and loses at home to the Steelers, the writing would be on the wall. A win might not save Zimmer either way, but a loss would likely be fatal. It would drop the Vikings to 5-8 on the season, and the odds to make the playoffs would wither. On top of that, Minnesota would have extended time to ponder the future. They have a lot of extra time off between the Steelers game on Thursday and the game against the Chicago Bears on Dec. 20.
This is not what Vikings fans envisioned at the start of the season. It seems likely that Zimmer won’t be back after this year, barring a truly miraculous turnaround. Even if the end result appears obvious, the buttons need to be pushed at the right time. And that time isn’t now.
