The Minnesota Vikings may have won on Sunday but it hasn’t convinced anyone that Mike Zimmer should keep his job.
Hours after Kirk Cousins connected with K.J. Osborn to seal an overtime victory over Carolina, “#FireZimmer” was trending as Viking fans voiced their displeasure with their head coach.
https://twitter.com/TreyStallings1/status/1447314639319097345
Zimmer instructed his offensive staff to do some “self-scouting” after last week’s win over the Lions but he apparently wasn’t part of that process. His decision making stayed on the conservative side against the Panthers as the Vikings opened the game with two field goals despite driving inside the 10-yard line.
—> MIN (0) @ CAR (0) <—
MIN has 4th & 4 at the CAR 6Recommendation (STRONG): 👉 Go for it (+3.6 WP)
Actual play: 👟🏈 G.Joseph 25 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-A.DePaola, Holder-J.Berry. pic.twitter.com/Eqck1lw7WG— 4th down decision bot (@ben_bot_baldwin) October 17, 2021
—> MIN (3) @ CAR (7) <—
MIN has 4th & 2 at the CAR 7Recommendation (STRONG): 👉 Go for it (+4.7 WP)
Actual play: 👟🏈 G.Joseph 25 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-A.DePaola, Holder-J.Berry. pic.twitter.com/A10X8Psjl7— 4th down decision bot (@ben_bot_baldwin) October 17, 2021
Even Zimmer did show his aggressive side, it hurt his team’s chances of winning. A failed two-point conversion after a touchdown to Chris Herndon left the Vikings chasing the rest of the afternoon and Minnesota went 0-for-3 on those chances, leaving points on the board.
The fun continued when Zimmer played for field goals after taking an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter. After Carolina cut the lead down to eight points, the Vikings called two short passes and a run before deciding to punt as opposed to kicking a field goal that would have put Minnesota back up by 11 or going for it on 4th and 11.
That put Mike Zimmer’s defense in the spotlight, which allowed a 98-yard drive and a two-point conversion that eventually sent the game to overtime. Although Cousins saved the Vikings (and potentially Zimmer’s job) with a game-winning drive, it wasn’t enough to throw fans off the trail.
#FireZimmer this is the look of a man ready to get fired. The team is opening the door so they can play to win, and get rid of the trash (Coach Zimmer). The coach a constant issue holding his team back! #FireZimmer
— Anthony (@antman2662002) October 17, 2021
https://twitter.com/spettis52/status/1449851934744141832
Watching Vic Fangio coach after watching Mike Zimmer coach: pic.twitter.com/C1aabIub3c
— Jordan Freemyer (@jfreemyer) October 17, 2021
You are talking about a gutless coach who has no sense to assert dominance and is willing to put his player's health at risk to provide the illusion that he is trying to "close out" a game. Zimmer is pathetic, aging, and washed-up HC #FireZimmer #SKOL #MINvsCAR
— Sebastian (@sebastiancanes) October 17, 2021
Kirk is the hero again, Zim again coaching us into dire situations. #firezimmer
— Jens Hansen (@Jens_The_Viking) October 17, 2021
Stop being so conservative on offense in the second half and then letting YOUR defense give up the game and forcing Kirk to put on a game-winning drive to save your ass #FireZimmer https://t.co/JNqV2MUfgz
— Bret Morgensen (@Bmole3113) October 17, 2021
See Zimmer, Touchdowns win games. Not playing for a FG. What an awful job by the coaching staff today. This game shouldn’t have been close. W/ a good coach, this is a 10-14pt win. W/ a great coach Vikes win by 20+. #FireZimmer. #MINvsCAR
— Scott (@Banditman39) October 17, 2021
If you’re feeling down or bad about yourself today just remember you’ll never be as bad at anything in your life as Mike Zimmer is at being an NFL head coach. Charles Barkley is a better golfer. #vikings #firezimmer
— Brandon Phillips (@blphil16) October 17, 2021
