After 0-2 start, Vikings need to 'get back to who we are as a football team'
Zach Pascal #14 of the Indianapolis Colts runs for a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings at Lucas Oil Stadium on September 20, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana. ((Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS - The Minnesota Vikings are having an identity crisis just two weeks into the 2020 season, and the most alarming part is there don’t seem to be any clear answers for an immediate fix.
For the first time under Mike Zimmer, the Vikings are 0-2 to start a season after Sunday’s 28-11 loss to the Colts.. It hasn’t happened since 2013, when Leslie Frazier’s squad finished 5-10-1. He was fired after the season, and Zimmer was chosen to replace him.
Zimmer’s teams have always had a pretty clear identity. On offense, be physical at the line of scrimmage, establish the run and go off that to make big plays down the field. On defense, it’s to pressure the quarterback, stop the run and get off the field on third down.
After Sunday’s loss, most of the answers were “I don’t know” and “we’ll have to watch the tape.” Zimmer wants to run the ball, and stop the run. Dalvin Cook had 14 carries for 63 yards and a garbage time touchdown. The Vikings ran for 80 yards on the day. Meanwhile, former Wisconsin star Jonathan Taylor ran past and through the Minnesota defense for 101 yards and a touchdown.
The Colts ran for 151 yards Sunday. In the season-opener, the Packers ran for 158 yards and averaged nearly five yards per carry.
“I think the biggest thing is we’ve got to get back to being who we are as a football team, not so much just the offense or defense,” Zimmer said Monday. “The identity of our team has always been tough and physical and smart, and not beating ourselves. So we’re going to have to fix that.”
Kirk Cousins had one of his worst games as a starting quarterback on Sunday. He finished 11-of-26 for 113 yards and three interceptions. His rating at one point in the second half was 0.0. It finished at 15.9, the worst of his career.
He was sacked three times, and took a safety for the second consecutive week. Justin Jefferson led the Vikings in receiving with three catches for 44 yards, but like Cook’s touchdown, his work came with the game decided. Adam Thielen made three grabs on eight targets for 31 yards.
Cousins offered no answers after, saying he needed to “watch the tape.” Thielen said Monday the Vikings need to get their swagger back, and get back to their “smash-mouth football” identity that’s been lacking the first two weeks.
“It’s how you come out of that, are you going to be a man, are you going to own up and say that I could play better and go fix it? Or are you going to go sulk and hope people feel bad for you? At the end of the day in the NFL, peopled don’t feel bad for you. You’ve got to figure it out, do it quickly and get that swagger back,” Thielen said.
Through two games, it’s evident the Vikings didn’t do enough to get better in the off-season. Rookie offensive lineman Ezra Cleveland hasn’t played, Dru Samia got his first start Sunday and gave up one of the three sacks on Cousins. Cook, who just signed a five-year extension, isn’t getting the ball enough to be an effective weapon in the offense.
Cousins also hasn’t found a receiver to get the ball to, other than Thielen. If he’s not open, plays break down. It’s hard to fathom that the Cousins we saw Sunday was the same guy that won a road playoff game last year, and was the NFC Player of the Month last October.
“Kirk is a veteran guy that has had a lot of success in the league, so we expect him to come back and play better this week, but we expect everybody to come back and play better,” Zimmer said.
On defense, the Vikings haven’t adjusted well to life without Michael Pierce and Danielle Hunter. Pierce opted out of the season amid COVID-19 concerns, and without him clogging the middle, the Colts ran up the middle with regularity on Sunday. Without Hunter, the Vikings haven’t put any pressure on quarterbacks. Now, they're without linebacker Anthony Barr the rest of the season.
That’s making life difficult for a secondary that between Cameron Dantzler, Jeff Gladney, Mike Hughes and Holton Hill, is no more than 23 years old. Aaron Rodgers picked them apart for 364 yards and four touchdowns two weeks ago. Sunday, the defense gave up 354 total yards, 24 first downs and the Colts averaged 5.3 yards per play. Indianapolis also had 20 more offensive plays, and stayed on the field thanks to three illegal contact penalties on what should’ve been third down stops.
“The game plan this week was simple enough for them this week that there shouldn’t be very many mistakes,” Zimmer said Sunday.
“We believe in the talent that we have. We know they’re young, they know they’re young but at the end of the day, they’re professionals so that’s how we treat them. We’re just going to keep plugging away,” safety Anthony Harris said Sunday.
Things have to change, and in a hurry. Teams that start 0-2 generally have about a 12 percent chance to make the playoffs. Minnesota’s next three opponents, Tennessee, Houston and Seattle, were all playoff teams last year.
“Mentally I think we’re in a good place. We understand that our backs (are) up against the wall, and it’s time to fight. It’s time to show everybody that we’re a good football team,” Samia said. “We’ve just got to go out there and prove it.”