With the Minnesota Vikings entering the final three games of the season, there are a lot questions about Mike Zimmer’s job security.
Those questions surfaced at the end of Zimmer’s press conference on Wednesday where he was asked about being in a game where the coach on the opposite sideline, Chicago’s Matt Nagy, was also on the hot seat.
How can you not like Mike Zimmer lol pic.twitter.com/5ezBYaFoww
— Matt Anderson (@MattAnderson_8) December 22, 2021
“I’m on the hot seat?” Zimmer asked while breaking a smile. “I don’t have any thought on it.”
Zimmer walked away from the press conference but his job security will be in question over the final three games.
The Vikings entered the season with high expectations but his team will go into Sunday’s crucial matchup with a 7-7 record but in the seventh and final spot in the NFC. But fighting for a playoff spot was not what anyone had in mind when the Vikings spent $45 million to revamp their defense this past spring and returned an offense that ranked fourth in total offense (but 11th in points) in 2020.
This year has brought more inconsistency as all but one of their 14 games have been one-possession games. With the offense and defense trading highs and lows, the Vikings find themselves in must-win territory starting with Sunday’s game at U.S. Bank Stadium.
If they’re able to get past the Rams, they’ll head to Green Bay on Jan. 2 before a rematch with the Chicago Bears. Locked in a three-way tie at the bottom of the NFC playoff picture, the Vikings will likely have to win two of the three games to make the playoffs.
But regardless of the result, things could get interesting thanks to a new rule that allows teams to interview head-coaching candidates during the final two weeks of the season. If a name leaks, the seat might only get hotter for Zimmer down the stretch.
