One quarter of the way through the season and at their bye week, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer likes his team, but at 2-2 isn’t happy about where they are at.
During his Monday afternoon press conference Zimmer told reporters he didn’t think they played well enough to win in Denver Sunday.
ZIMMER: “I’m disappointed that we didn’t start better…probably didn’t play good enough to win.” #Vikings
— Aj Mansour (@AjKFAN) October 5, 2015
The Vikings fell into a 13-0 hole in the first half of against the Broncos, but they battled back to tie the score, 20-20, on a 33-yard Blair Walsh field goal with 3:56 to play.
Peyton Manning then took over, orchestrating a 9-play, 55-yard drive that ended with a 39-yard Brandon McManus field goal with less than two minutes to play.
Teddy Bridgewater wasn’t able to bring the Vikings back a final time, and Denver’s Von Miller ended Minnesota’s hopes when he recovered a Bridgewater fumble on the seventh sack of the afternoon.
ZIMMER: “We’re never going to have moral victories around here.” #Vikings
— Aj Mansour (@AjKFAN) October 5, 2015
Despite the loss, Zimmer is still optimistic about the Vikings’ season.
“I think we have a chance to be a good football team, and if we ever really put it all together, we could be a very good football team.”
Despite the fumble on the final drive, Zimmer thought his young quarterback played well in the second half.
“The impressive part to me is what he did in the second half,” said Zimmer. “He got hit and roughed up a little in the first half and then the second half kept his poise and made some great throws, he can play better, but I think he did some outstanding things in the second half.”
Bridgewater finished the afternoon 27-of-41 for 269 yards and a touchdown. His top two targets were Mike Wallace, who caught 8 passes for 83 yards and a touchdown and rookie Stefon Diggs, who made 6 grabs for 87 yards.
Wallace told the Pioneer Press that he sees something special in his young teammate.
“He could be better than me,” Wallace said of Diggs. “He’s young. When I came in (with Pittsburgh in 2009), I was playing as a young guy, but I had one assignment: Beat them deep. Diggs is already running the full route treatment from Day 1.”
The Vikings are back in action Oct. 18 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
