Don't Overreact to the Vikings' Embarrassing Loss to the Saints
The Vikings' 52-33 loss to the Saints on Christmas Day was, well, ugly. It was disappointing, and embarrassing, and historically bad on one side of the ball. It resulted in Minnesota's official elimination from playoff contention and guaranteed they'll have a losing record for the first time since 2014.
And yet, I'm here to tell you not to overreact to it. I'm here to tell you that, although it was eye-popping and happened with the whole country watching, it doesn't really mean anything from a big-picture perspective.
The Vikings were expected to lose this game, but what was shocking was the way that it happened. Alvin Kamara ran for six touchdowns, which hadn't been done in 91 years. Minnesota gave up a franchise record in total yards and the most points they had allowed in 57 years. It was a jarringly disastrous defensive performance.
Afterwards, many fans started calling for heads to roll. Mike Zimmer should be fired. Rick Spielman should be fired. Kirk Cousins somehow received a portion of the blame, like he always does after a loss, regardless of what happened in the game.
It's hard to blame those fans for their emotions. But at the same time, calling for major changes after this game – or panicking about the Vikings' future because of it – simply doesn't make any sense. It was not a fun day to be cheering for the team wearing purple, but this game didn't tell us anything about the Vikings that wasn't already clear.
Look no further than at Zimmer's linebackers in New Orleans. Eric Wilson, the lone available starter, is a poor run defender who is good in coverage but is probably a bit overrated because he forced some turnovers earlier this season. He's an asset as a No. 3 linebacker but is in way over his head as a team's No. 1. Hardy Nickerson Jr. was cut by the Bengals last year and has spent most of the season on the Vikings' practice squad. Blake Lynch is an undrafted rookie who didn't even start playing LB until two years ago.
Throw in arguably the NFL's worst defensive line (which has sorely missed Danielle Hunter and Michael Pierce all year), and it's not all that surprising that the Saints ran for 264 yards and seven touchdowns on Friday. That's not on Zimmer. He wasn't out on the field missing tackles or failing to fill the right gaps. There's no coach in the NFL who could've stopped Kamara with Wilson, Nickerson, Lynch, Shamar Stephen, and Jaleel Johnson. It's also not on Spielman, who couldn't have foreseen Pierce opting out or injuries popping up left and right.
After the game, Zimmer was asked about his comment from training camp where he boasted that he'd never had a bad defense. "Yeah, this is a bad defense," he said. "Worst one I’ve ever had.” That's a grim comment, but he's not exactly wrong. Injuries have ravaged the personnel on that side of the ball beyond recognition.
Zimmer tried to make it clear that there are no excuses for getting gashed that badly, but he wound up making excuses anyway. How could he not? "If you look at the playoff game last year and you look at the guys who were playing in that game and the guys who were playing today, it’s completely 100 percent different," he said.
Fact check: not quite 100 percent, but close. Of the 11 players who saw the most defensive snaps in that Vikings win back in January, only three (Harrison Smith, Anthony Harris, and Stephen) played in this game. One of those three, Stephen, was 11th in snaps in the wild card victory.
The overarching point is this: we didn't learn anything about the Vikings in this game, and as a result, it doesn't mean anything when heading into next season. That's obviously hyperbolic, but you get the idea.
Did a lot of concerning things happen in this game? Absolutely. The offensive line was pushed around on numerous occasions. The play-calling, clock management, and conservative approach were all issues at times. The defense was utterly horrific.
But we already knew all of those problems existed. We already knew the run defense was awful without Eric Kendricks; the Bears ran for 199 yards five days before this Christmas nightmare. We already knew the Vikings weren't making the playoffs; they sealed their fate in that regard last Sunday.
This loss wasn't on Zimmer. It certainly wasn't on Cousins, who was very good (291 yards, three touchdowns, 110.9 rating) in leading an offense that played quite well for most of the afternoon. It was simply an unfortunate example of what can happen when a depleted, outmatched defense runs into the offense of a Super Bowl contender.
Look at it this way: I'm not sure a single member of the front seven who played in this game will be a starter next year.
"We've got to get Hunter back, we've got to get Pierce here, we've got to get [Anthony] Barr, Kendricks, Pro Bowl players, good players that we have, they need to be back," Zimmer said. "If you go back, and honest, I'm not trying to make excuses, it was embarrassing today. We're missing four defensive linemen, we're missing a safety, we're missing three corners, we're missing six linebackers, I believe, from where we started. We're just a little undermanned. That's still no excuse. These guys put on an NFL jersey they've got to play."
The Vikings have a lot of questions to answer this offseason, but that was true before they gave up 52 points to the Saints. Those questions may have been amplified during Friday's performance, but they haven't changed.
So don't panic. Don't overreact. Next season, the Vikings will pair a talented offense with a defense that's going to look significantly different than the one they trotted out in the Superdome this week. This embarrassing performance may help inform some decisions that are going to be made in the offseason, but it didn't tell us anything about the Vikings that we didn't already know.
Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis. Also, click the follow button in the upper right-hand corner of this page (mobile users, tap the bell icon – you may have to click ‘News’ first), leave comments below, and follow me on Twitter.
