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McNiff's Riffs: Demise of Vikings defense inexplicable, especially to Zimmer

Thursday's loss was one for the record books, and Tim McNiff sees it no easy answers for a head coach with a defensive pedigree who is used to being in control.
Credit: Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
September 27, 2018; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley (30) is brought down by Minnesota Vikings cornerback Mike Hughes (21) during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Serious questions were raised in the offseason about the play of the Vikings defense over the last six quarters of their 2017 season. Those questions obviously did not sit well with the architect of that defense, Head Coach Mike Zimmer.

It was suggested that the group that had been dubbed “Zim’s Reapers” for their stellar play in 2017 had been badly exposed by New Orleans Saints future Hall of Famer Drew Brees in their NFC quarterfinal playoff game. Only the ‘Miracle in Minneapolis’ prevented Brees' effort from being not only that day’s big story, but also the season' epitaph.

Credit: Kirby Lee
NFL offensive coordinators seem to be on to Mike Zimmer's defensive schemes, and unfortunately... the Vikings head coach has not yet responded.

Turns out, the ‘Miracle’ only delayed the inevitable for a week.

The Philadelphia Eagles, playing without their starting quarterback and only able to muster 15 points in their NFC quarterfinal win over Atlanta (9 of those on field goals), went out and torched the Vikings D for 38 in the NFC Championship.

READ: More McNiff's Riffs

That’s when the questions started, and Coach Zimmer said something interesting that day. “I could’ve called a lot better game,” confessed Zimmer. “I’m gonna point the finger at me before I point the finger at any of my players."

That may sound like a noble gesture, but over time and the start of the 2018 season Zimmer’s statement rings more and more true. After watching the Vikings defense through the first four games of the current campagin it’s clear that the rest of the NFL is on to Mike Zimmer and his scheme. More unsettling, is that this largely veteran group continues to make uncharacteristic mistakes with alarming regularity.

Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea
Anthony Barr was in the Rams' sights all night, on this play getting beat by wide receiver Cooper Kupp for a 70-yard TD.

Consider that even in the Week 1 win over San Francisco, the Vikings had several breakdowns on defense that left 49ers tight end Greg Kittle virtually uncovered on his way to five catches for 90 yards.

Week 2 the Viking held a hobbled Aaron Rodgers to 22 points (including five field goals) in a 29-29 tie, but breakdowns in defensive communication allowed Green Bay tight end Jimmy Graham to ramble uncovered on several big plays.

Things got worse during the Week 3 meltdown against Buffalo, where Chris Ivory and Jason Croom were left virtually wide open on plays that produced back-breaking results, Croom’s being a 26-yard touchdown.

If the Vikings frequent miscommunication and lack of execution left you feeling uneasy about Thursday night’s loss against the unbeaten Rams, you were right to feel that way. The first half resembled something of a track meet, and Rams collectively were the equivalent of Usain Bolt. On his way to 465 yards passing, Rams QB Jared Goff (held without a passing touchdown in last year’s game between these two teams) connected with Cooper Kupp for paydirt not once, but TWICE. Kupp's second TD grab was a 70-yard catch and sprint, with Kupp being trailed by overmatched Viking linebacker Anthony Barr (who the Rams picked on all night).

Credit: Kirby Lee
Rams QB Jared Goff channeled the great Kurt Warner, scorching the beleaguered Vikings D for 5 touchdowns.

Less than two and a half minutes later Goff hit Brandin Cooks for a 47-yard score. On the night, Goff tossed five touchdown passes, four in the first half alone. It's the most since Kurt Warner accomplished that feat back in 1999.

Last night’s loss was sadly one for the record books - and it left no easy answers for a head coach who is used to being in control.

“At this point, I don’t know,” said Zimmer. “We’ve never been, probably anywhere I’ve ever been, this poor in pass coverage. We’re going to look at everything we’re doing and get back to doing things correctly.”

I assume the coach is talking about the 2017 edition of his defense, and the first half of the NFC Quarterfinal playoff game against Drew Brees and the Saints... because since then Zim’s Reapers have played more like “Zim’s Reekers.”

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