Vikings Fall to Bears 33-27

This game wasn't even fun to watch. Two weeks ago we had gotten back to 0.500 and were sitting in a playoff spot, and now the season is pretty much over. As a Vikings fan I had it in the back of my head that there was no way we made the playoffs and finished as a mediocre 7-9 or 8-8 team, I even wrote about it a couple weeks ago. At this point I would rather the Vikings finish 6-10 and pad Justin Jefferson's stats. 8-8 won't help us, but 6-10 will get us a nice draft pick, maybe even top ten. Jefferson has a really good chance at winning rookie of the year and I think the season should revolve around that for the final two games. All of the starters besides Jefferson should only play one more game to see how the Cardinals do in the next week, otherwise they should sit. But focused on this game, man it was bad.

Kirk Cousins wasn't even the problem. He had some times where he hesitated too long and it ended up in a sack, but he didn't play terribly. The issue is the receivers might be getting upset with him, indicated by Jefferson yelling at Cousins for not getting the ball out quickly. He finished the game with 271 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception but it was the last play of the game on a hail mary. I think the main knock on Cousins this game was not getting the ball out and not stretching the field. A lot of the explosive plays came from short passes that had a lot of yards after the catch. He didn't take a whole lot of deep shots, which he needs to do when Dalvin Cook sets up play action passes. Granted Cousins didn't have great help from the offensive line as he got pressured a lot and sacked 3 times. However Cousins definitely had time on those sacks to make a play happen. These are the types of games that make me wonder if we should move on from Cousins next year. He contract says no but the inconsistent play offers a possibility, especially with such a great QB class in the next year.

Dalvin Cook has made 100 yard games usual, which is starting to be bad as we take it for granted. I barely noticed that Cook finished the game with 132 yards and touchdown, but that might be because it has come to be expected of him. He's the focal point of the offense and I think will lead the team to greatness in future years. He scares me nearly every game because of his minor injuries, but he always comes back. He also added 5 catches for 27 yards, and it was nice to see him involved in the passing game. The issue in the last couple of games has been playing from behind. Cook can't dominate a game when we have to throw the ball to dig out of a hole. Still, he's the most exciting player on the team and he more than deserves his spot as a pro bowler this year.

The main receiver was Jefferson, and there was a lot of other small contributions. Jefferson had 8 catches for 104 yards, and no other actual receiver had more than 5 targets. Thielen only had 2 catches for 11 yards, but had a touchdown. Irv Smith played inconsistent all day and ended up with 3 catches for 37 yards. Tyler Conklin had his first ever NFL touchdown on 3 catches for 57 yards. The receivers seemed to have good days, but it was all dependent on Cousins. Cousins spread the ball around maybe too much, which hurt Thielen's targets which I think is counter productive. In my opinion there is no game where Jefferson and Thielen shouldn't have the most targets. We need to be able to get the ball to our play makers, and we're able to do that with Jefferson, but we need to get it to Thielen too. Whether that comes from Gary Kubiak drawing up better plays for them, or better play from Cousins to get them ball, something needs to change.

The biggest issue today was the defense. We had no penetration on the line and David Montgomery ran all over us. He had 146 yards and 2 touchdowns. It was ridiculous how many tackles were missed or broken when he ran the ball, that turned 2 yard losses for the Bears into 10 yard gains. It was yet another huge game where we missed our defensive stars. The secondary wasn't terrible, and Dantzler added to his resume with another interception. The issue was they had to dedicate to helping the run, opening the playbook for the Bears. Play action passes would have players wide open and the Bears would march right down the field. It was hard to watch at times as we made Trubisky look like a good quarterback. We also only had one sack yet again, and it was on the first drive of the game. A pass rush in games like this would be huge. Even just having Kendricks or Pierce play this game would have changed the tide. Something to stop the run so our secondary could sit back in coverage a little more. With the focus more on next season I continue to be excited for what this team could be like. All of the pieces are there if we stay healthy and don't under perform. We have the offensive weapons, the linebackers, the secondary is getting better, and the return of veteran defensive lineman should result in success. The questions come in the offensive line and Kirk Cousins. Can they lead the team to the playoffs? We'll have to wait another year to find out.

I think Mike Zimmer is getting fired this year. Possibly Gark Kubiak too. It's crazy to think about how different this season could have been if we beat the Seahawks. Imagine we kick a field goal instead of going for it on 4th down and losing by 1 point. We went for it on 4th down another time this game that we didn't need to do at all. We run it straight up the middle and gave the Bears the ball in our own territory. The decision to go for it was stupid to begin with, which is on Zimmer, but the play was terrible too. Gary Kubiak has ran the ball up the middle with a shotgun formation dozens of times each game, and every body in the building knew that play was coming. Even with a player like Cook it won't work when you run into 11 defenders. You have to be more creative than that and get the ball to some other playmakers. I think this team needs to evolve to the new style NFL, and Zimmer and Kubiak won't be a part of that. They are too old school and their strategies just don't work as often any more. I love Zimmer and the way he develops defenses, but I think he'd be a better defensive coordinator than head coach. If anything the team could just use a fresh start.

The season isn't entirely lost yet. If the Vikings win out, the Bears split their games, and the Cardinals lose out we could sneak in at 8-8. All are unlikely and I don't have a lot of faith in all of those happening. I think we should tank for the draft pick at this point but I already know we'll finish 8-8 and still miss the playoffs. It's a true life of mediocrity in Minnesota. However, next year could be exciting. This year also fits the recent trends that the Vikings make the playoffs ever other year, which gives me even more optimism for the next season. Of course, not too much optimism. Hopefully we finish 6-10, get a good draft pick, take an offensive lineman, and heal up for next season. I don't think we take a quarterback this draft, at least not first round. Cousins has one more season next year to prove he can win with this team. If not I bet a quarterback change happens in 2022, like the Eagles are doing now with Wentz and Hurts. A good draft pick could be too much to ask for, and if the Cardinals win next week I will be more upset if we win than lose.

But as always, with cautious optimism, skol Vikings.