Is this too much to overcome?

From close games to controversy to COVID, things are piling up on the 2021 Vikings

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By Matthew Coller

EAGAN — On Wednesday, Mike Zimmer tried his darnedest to talk about the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Minnesota Vikings’ head coach opened his press conference with 77 words about the Chargers and name dropped Joey Bosa, Linval Joseph, Derwin James, Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Justin Herbert and Austin Ekeler.

Then there was an uncomfortable pause. Everyone looked around at each other in slight disbelief that he did not mention Dalvin Cook’s situation.

After an awkward response to an Ekeler question, Zimmer was asked about whether the Pro Bowl running back had any change in his status following allegations that he abused his former girlfriend.

“Yeah, no I haven’t heard anything,” Zimmer said.

Will he practice today?

“Yeah.”

Will it be a distraction?

“Not really. Go about our business as usual.”

Zimmer then gave an update on the team’s COVID situation, which forced Harrison Smith and Garrett Bradbury to miss last week’s game.

“Well, one of our players that was vaccinated, he had to go to the ER last night because of COVID,” Zimmer revealed. “It’s serious stuff, so, I don’t know. Like 29 guys are getting tested because of close contact, including myself.”

After the Vikings’ head coach declined to name the player, later reported to be guard Dakota Dozier, there was another pause.

“There’s no way to segue from that,” a reporter said before asked about Justin Herbert’s late-game prowess.

For Zimmer, these type of press conferences are not new. Certainly the nature of accusations against Cook are today’s issue at hand but throughout his tenure the mix of discussion about the next opponent with whatever massive distraction lingers in the background has been a staple of his tenure.

Whether it’s Adrian Peterson in 2014 or Norv Turner in 2016 or Everson Griffen in 2018 or his team becoming the unvaccinated capital of the NFL during training camp this year (and those are probably one-fifth of the number of incidents that could be mentioned), Zimmer has always been inundated with unexpected hurdles.

During Wednesday’s press conference, I ran down the list of this year’s events and asked Zimmer how he was handling it.

First he added one that was left out. “Hunter. You want me to keep going? I’ve got a few more.”

Then Zimmer went into his natural reflex during times like these: To push back.

“Hey, you know, this team fights, OK? They compete like crazy,” Zimmer said. “We had 98 plays on defense last week, but they fought to the very, very end. We’ve had, of the eight games, seven out of the eight have come down to the last play of the game, so I’ve never seen that in my entire career, have that many games come down to the last play of the game. We’ve got to figure out how not to let it come down to the last play of the game, number one, and when we do, we’ve got to figure out a way to get it done.”

He continued…

“I promise you our coaches, and it’s my responsibility that it’s coming down to the last part of the game, but the players are playing their rear ends off, and we as coaches we’re trying to figure out how can we put them in these situations, and unfortunately they’re all a little bit different. This quarterback’s running the ball. We miss a field goal at the end. Just different scenarios. We’re trying to work though all of them so we can start winning these games. We haven’t won them yet. We’ve had a little bit of the injuries and COVID and things like that, and we've just got to overcome it. But as long as we keep fighting, good things will happen.”

Good things haven’t normally happened when there have been disturbances of this proportion. In 2016, the Vikings lost to Detroit after Turner resigned and fell 34-6 to the Colts following Peterson’s return after he announced his comeback on a radio station that he owned. In 2018, the massive underdog Bills beat the Vikings at US Bank Stadium following Griffen’s off-field issue.

Those games were surrounded by the normal tensions of an NFL season combined with major developments. The Vikings tied the Packers 29-29 and cut their kicker Daniel Carlson the week before the Buffalo loss. In ‘16, they were dealing with a slew of injuries.

Eventually even NFL teams that are built like tractor trailers to handle pressure collapse under so much weight.

Last week, for example, the Las Vegas Raiders got upset by the lowly New York Giants in the shadow of Henry Ruggs’s deadly car crash. They were able to stave off having their coach get fired but there’s a certain level of angst that cracks the toughest foundations.

An hour after Zimmer made his plea to keep fighting, Cook stood surrounded by reporters inside the team’s practice facility. He declared that he is the victim of an attack by his former girlfriend and that the “truth will come out.” Cook was unwilling to answer any other questions about the matter, only saying that he hadn’t heard from the NFL, which seems to be hiding in the murky waters of the accusations existing within a civil case rather than criminal.

The takeaway was that it appears this situation will linger over the Vikings like a fog in late fall. Meanwhile, every investigative reporter will be diving into Cook’s personal life. We don’t know if the Vikings are bracing for more. If you recall, Peterson wasn’t suspended right away. Sometimes the winds that feel like the height of the storm are only the beginning of a catastrophic weather event.

In no way should things as serious as a player in the hospital with COVID and the allegations against Cook be conflated with rising tensions regarding the team’s offense but the week began with receiver Adam Thielen talking about how the Vikings “have the guys” on offense but need to find a way to get over the top. It seemed a not-so-subtle hint that the star players are growing restless of not seeing enough footballs coming their way. Zimmer’s Monday session also included him alluding to concerns about play calling.

As we found in 2016 and toward the end of the 2018, finger pointing and strain between the players, HC and OC can cause enough drama for a season. This time the Vikings must navigate their way through it with the team nervous about close contacts and the possibility of another shoe to drop on Cook’s situation.

We haven’t even gotten to the “hot seat” conversation. ESPN’s recent breakdown by Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano of coaches on the hot seat named the Vikings’ head coach as someone who could be fired if things continue down this path. That conversation will get louder in national circles if the Vikings lose to the Chargers and fall to 3-6 and 4-10 since getting to 6-6 last year.

A half-hour after Cook walked away from the space roped off inside the practice area for his press conference, Andre Patterson took off the mask that he’s forced to wear this week because of the COVID scare and described how the team will shut out the blaring noise.

“You just come to work and you grind, that’s what you do,” Patterson said. “You come to work and you grind. The guys on Monday, the guys today so far, seem to be in a great place. We just had walk-through; they were very focused and locked-in in walk-through, so we’ll see how practice is. So I think they understand. You know, this is a long journey. We’ve played, what, eight games? Is that right? Seven of the eight came down to the last play of the game. We’ve played a bunch of really good football teams and stood toe-to-toe. We just have to find a way to win a game. And then once you win a game, you win another one. And you start to stack them. You have to win the first one first, before you can stack them.”

The question becomes whether a group of players that fight hard each week can keep giving them a chance to win or if the game against the Los Angeles Chargers is the breaking point.

The Chargers are a quality team that is basking in the sun of its warm California weather and win over the Philadelphia Eagles last week. They didn’t play 98 plays last week. They don’t have to travel. Their coach isn’t on the hot seat. Their offensive coordinator isn’t under scrutiny. Their top pass rusher isn’t hurt. Their quarterback is their leader and future. Nobody on their team is headlining TMZ.

It’s a tough ask for the Vikings to beat a team of equal or greater talent with so many hurdles.

Of course, it’s the only way to keep the season alive. The Vikings may still be in the playoff hunt but another loss would force them to chase from the back of the pack and hope the seas part to even reach the No. 7 seed.

If they find a way, it will keep them squarely in the race and validate Zimmer’s ability to keep his team together regardless of what’s going on around them — at least for a week.

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