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The Minnesota Vikings remain in the playoff chase after escaping Soldier Field with an ugly 17-9 win over the Chicago Bears in primetime.
But their seventh win of the season reconfirmed what fans have watched all season: the talent-laden team plays down to its competition and finds ways to give up a comfortable lead nearly every week.
Instead of beating the Bears, the Vikings watched a mistake-prone Chicago team shoot itself in the foot. The wound was open, but Minnesota didn’t go for the kill.
“We had some moments where it wasn’t very good, but they fought,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said, per ESPN. “I was very, very hard on them this past week. Very demanding. I’m not saying that’s the reason why, but these guys have a lot of pride too. We just have to keep grinding on them, keep trying to get them better, keep working on the things that they need to improve on. But that’s the important thing, is that we try to get better these last three weeks. Not just show up and roll the balls out. Let’s get better.”
Despite Zimmer’s sentiments, he remains in one of the hottest seats in the NFL.
ESPN analyst Bill Barnwell explored a hypothetical scenario if he were to take over as general manager and the first move would be hiring a new coach. However, whether quarterback Kirk Cousins would stay depends on his price tag.
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Barnwell on Cousins: ‘If We’re Going to Be Rebuilding, I Don’t Think He’s the Right QB’
Appearing on the Purple Insider podcast with Matthew Coller, Barnwell assumed the hypothetical role as the new general manager of the Vikings. Including hiring a new coach, Barnwell explored the idea of what to do with Cousins.
While Cousins has played well this season, in the end, Minnesota at 7-7 so far this season has again seen middling results.
“When you look at the numbers, the failings of the defense you can talk yourself into it but the bigger sample is the same thing for the high price tag,” Barnwell said. “I tend to be pretty high ceiling low floor with quarterbacks. I want to have a guy who can win a Super Bowl. He’s either getting paid a fraction of the market value or has top-three NFL quarterback ceiling. Kirk Cousins is a good quarterback, but he’s not either of those guys. He’s getting paid a ton of money and he is very competent…
“But If we’re going to be rebuilding, I don’t think he’s the right quarterback for this organization,” Barnwell added.
There are expected to be many teams in need of a quarterback this offseason, and Minnesota should at the very least pick up the phone and take offers for Cousins.
“I do think there will be a trade market for Kirk Cousins,” Barnwell said.
Both Barnwell and Coller agreed that the Vikings wouldn’t give up Cousins for anything lower than a high-second-round pick or a first-rounder.
They could also work out a contract extension that would lessen his $45 million cap hit on the 2022 season and allow the Vikings the cap space to rebuild on defense.
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Barnwell Chooses Offensive-Minded Head Coach
In Barnwell’s experience, he would be surprised if Minnesota went with a young, offensive-minded head coach, specifically naming former Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson as a candidate he wouldn’t be shocked to see the Viking hire.
Here’s his take:
The Vikings would probably be interested in a player’s coach and an offensive-minded coach.
The guy who comes to mind for me and I would actually be not shocked if the Vikings hired is Doug Pederson. A guy who worked under Andy Reid very sound offensive mind. An open-minded guy. A guy who is analytics-friendly — a little inconsistent, but relative to other NFL coaches, pretty smart when it comes to game management. And a guy who has a good resume. He won a Super Bowl a few years ago with Nick Foles as his quarterback. I think since then, the results haven’t been all that great but last year with the Eagle so many injuries, that Carson Wentz situation did sort of turn into a disaster.
When you think about offensive coaches I would almost rather have the guy who did have a fall from grace recently and who has had an impressive resume in the past as opposed to someone like Kellen Moore, who has been impressive as a coordinator but we haven’t see him as a head coach. I don’t know how he would adaprt I don’t know how hr would deal with the expanded rule.
It wouldn’t shock me if the Vikings, in the same situation, would go for Pederson as well.
Pulling from his experience covering the league for 15 years, Barnwell compared the hype surrounding the young offensive coordinator trope to Jason Garrett, who has since struggled as the New York Giants coach.
Mike McCarthy fits the trope of head coach who fell from grace in Green Bay, only to resurface with the Dallas Cowboys this season.
“We’re always too high on coaches when they’re doing really well, and we’re always too pessimistic on coaches when they’re struggling,” Barnwell added.
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