Minnesota narrowly lost to a winless Detroit team in Week 13. The Vikings, once streaking and in the playoff hunt, look too inconsistent to put together any strong postseason run.
Even if Minnesota sneaks into the playoffs, the Vikings do not look like the kind of team that can even win a game there.
There are also implications to those hypothetical playoff wins. The Vikings may be forced to kick the ball down the road on a brain trust that seems destined for mediocrity with this current roster.
I’m not saying Rick Spielman is a bad general manager or Mike Zimmer is a bad coach, but it seems like this project ran its course in terms of Super Bowl contention.
So why not just fire Zimmer now? Plenty of fans are clamoring for it on social media. I mean, the Lions just snapped their 15-game winless streak against the Vikings. Minnesota is 5-7. Is this team going anywhere? Not really.
For now, though, I think Zimmer should stay. Minnesota is past the NFL trade deadline. At this point, the Vikings can’t just offload a ton of older talent and gear up for a new era. They might as well see if Zimmer can pull off a late-season turn-around.
Also, the Vikings should hire someone from outside the organization. Minnesota needs an offensive-minded coach, one who could either put Kirk Cousins in a better scheme or find a young quarterback who can lead a more aggressive offense.
The best options for interim coaches would be OC Klint Kubiak or Co-DC Andre Patterson, both of whom are good coaches, but not the ones the Vikings should be seeking out for the next head coaching gig. The team needs to look outside the organization, making an interim coach less necessary. Zimmer may as well stay — for now.