MINNEAPOLIS - Minnesota Vikings special teams coach Mike Priefer is no Ronald Reagan, but he probably tried his best to give the Vikings some halftime motivation, perhaps a speech including “win just one for the Zimmer.”Priefer, filling in for coach Mike Zimmer after Zimmer had emergency eye surgery Wednesday night, got an inspired effort from the defense, but the Vikings offense continued to lack punch in falling 17-15 to Dallas before a home attendance record of 66,860 at U.S. Bank Stadium.Minnesota (6-6) has lost six of its past seven games after starting 5-0, with the average losing margin being seven points. There are no awards for being competitive and losing, except maybe a participation ribbon. Lipstick on a pig, as they say.
The Vikings appear well on their way to becoming the fifth NFL team since 1990 to start at least 5-0 and not make the playoffs.Meanwhile, NFC North rival Detroit has won more of the close games, and that’s why the Lions are leading the division.The Vikings’ final drive was much like their losing skid, teasing fans until the bitter end. Trailing 17-9, quarterback Sam Bradford skillfully marched the offense 65 yards with just over two minutes remaining and found Jerick McKinnon from 3 yards out, bringing the Vikings to within two. But on the ensuing conversion attempt, Bradford was pressured and threw the ball to a drunk fan three rows up, spilling the last of his beer.Yep, Vikings fans can’t even cry in their suds after this one. Adding insult to injury, the officials missed a blatant hit to Bradford's helmet on the play, one of several missed or bad calls on the night.Priefer can’t go back to his day job fast enough, with the Vikings often starting deep in their own end due to penalties in the return game, and a critical fumble by Adam Thielen on a punt return with just over 10 minutes to play.Vikings fans were feeling good until then, with a 9-7 lead and about to get the ball. Instead, Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott found Dez Bryant from 8 yards out on the next play and the Cowboys never trailed again.Now in hindsight, the Vikings’ 5-0 start could be considered the eighth wonder of the modern world, a façade, a mirage, trick mirrors and smoke, and that first girl you actually thought liked you, all rolled into one.Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was hurt just before the season, and the offense lost three starting tackles and 2015 NFL rushing champ Adrian Peterson.That 5-0 start was a miracle, for sure, given what we’ve seen since, but it built confidence in a team and fan base hungry to win, especially in its new $1.1 billion stadium, the world’s largest loudspeaker.If you said to a Vikings fan after the Bradford injury that the Vikings would be 6-6 at this point in the season, they’d be surprised, in a good way. But now, after an epic collapse, it’s more like, what happened? The reality is you’re not going to win many games without a running game or pass protection that can’t hold back a trickle of water.The lack of offense eventually caught up with the Vikings because the turnover differential the defense created in the early going was unsustainable, and teams have plenty of ways to scheme against a team with no running game and no pass protection.The Vikings acquired Bradford to replace Bridgewater, giving up a first-round draft pick to the Eagles to get him. Bradford has shown to be a very capable passer when given time. But he’s as mobile as a glacier.The Vikings earned their share of yards Thursday but couldn’t finish against Dallas (11-1), which came into the game ranked 21st in the NFL in total defense. The Cowboys certainly aren’t without flaws, but not nearly as many as the Vikings.Superior native Bud Grant and other Vikings legends were honored at halftime, and it’s too bad Bud couldn’t have coached this one, and Robert Smith could have returned to the backfield, in his prime, and maybe this one would have turned out different.Wherever Zimmer was watching this one, with his one good eye, he had to be proud of the effort, even if he was cursing the finish in Coach Zim’s one-of-a-kind way. Jon Nowacki is a sportswriter for the News Tribune. He can be reached at jnowacki@duluthnews.com.MINNEAPOLIS - Minnesota Vikings special teams coach Mike Priefer is no Ronald Reagan, but he probably tried his best to give the Vikings some halftime motivation, perhaps a speech including “win just one for the Zimmer.”Priefer, filling in for coach Mike Zimmer after Zimmer had emergency eye surgery Wednesday night, got an inspired effort from the defense, but the Vikings offense continued to lack punch in falling 17-15 to Dallas before a home attendance record of 66,860 at U.S. Bank Stadium.Minnesota (6-6) has lost six of its past seven games after starting 5-0, with the average losing margin being seven points. There are no awards for being competitive and losing, except maybe a participation ribbon. Lipstick on a pig, as they say.
The Vikings appear well on their way to becoming the fifth NFL team since 1990 to start at least 5-0 and not make the playoffs.Meanwhile, NFC North rival Detroit has won more of the close games, and that’s why the Lions are leading the division.The Vikings’ final drive was much like their losing skid, teasing fans until the bitter end. Trailing 17-9, quarterback Sam Bradford skillfully marched the offense 65 yards with just over two minutes remaining and found Jerick McKinnon from 3 yards out, bringing the Vikings to within two. But on the ensuing conversion attempt, Bradford was pressured and threw the ball to a drunk fan three rows up, spilling the last of his beer.Yep, Vikings fans can’t even cry in their suds after this one. Adding insult to injury, the officials missed a blatant hit to Bradford's helmet on the play, one of several missed or bad calls on the night.Priefer can’t go back to his day job fast enough, with the Vikings often starting deep in their own end due to penalties in the return game, and a critical fumble by Adam Thielen on a punt return with just over 10 minutes to play.Vikings fans were feeling good until then, with a 9-7 lead and about to get the ball. Instead, Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott found Dez Bryant from 8 yards out on the next play and the Cowboys never trailed again.Now in hindsight, the Vikings’ 5-0 start could be considered the eighth wonder of the modern world, a façade, a mirage, trick mirrors and smoke, and that first girl you actually thought liked you, all rolled into one.Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was hurt just before the season, and the offense lost three starting tackles and 2015 NFL rushing champ Adrian Peterson.That 5-0 start was a miracle, for sure, given what we’ve seen since, but it built confidence in a team and fan base hungry to win, especially in its new $1.1 billion stadium, the world’s largest loudspeaker.If you said to a Vikings fan after the Bradford injury that the Vikings would be 6-6 at this point in the season, they’d be surprised, in a good way. But now, after an epic collapse, it’s more like, what happened? The reality is you’re not going to win many games without a running game or pass protection that can’t hold back a trickle of water.The lack of offense eventually caught up with the Vikings because the turnover differential the defense created in the early going was unsustainable, and teams have plenty of ways to scheme against a team with no running game and no pass protection.The Vikings acquired Bradford to replace Bridgewater, giving up a first-round draft pick to the Eagles to get him. Bradford has shown to be a very capable passer when given time. But he’s as mobile as a glacier.The Vikings earned their share of yards Thursday but couldn’t finish against Dallas (11-1), which came into the game ranked 21st in the NFL in total defense. The Cowboys certainly aren’t without flaws, but not nearly as many as the Vikings.Superior native Bud Grant and other Vikings legends were honored at halftime, and it’s too bad Bud couldn’t have coached this one, and Robert Smith could have returned to the backfield, in his prime, and maybe this one would have turned out different.Wherever Zimmer was watching this one, with his one good eye, he had to be proud of the effort, even if he was cursing the finish in Coach Zim’s one-of-a-kind way.Jon Nowacki is a sportswriter for the News Tribune. He can be reached at jnowacki@duluthnews.com.
