In an effort to salvage their season, the Minnesota Vikings have decided to relieve offensive coordinator John DeFilippo of his duties with the team.
Armed with a new shiny quarterback, the best receiving duo in the NFL, and a talented, young running back returning to the lineup, the Minnesota Vikings figured their offense would be one of the best in the league this season.
Instead, the Vikings have now decided to let go of offensive coordinator John DeFilippo with three games still remaining on their schedule.
The team announced the move on Tuesday and that quarterbacks coach Kevin Stefanski will also be taking over the play-calling duties for the offense.
After another underwhelming performance by Minnesota’s offense in their loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Monday, this was a decision that seemed almost inevitable. The Vikings’ backs are against the wall as they fight for a playoff spot and they clearly felt that this move was a necessary one to save their season.
With DeFilippo leading the way, Minnesota’s offense currently ranks 20th in the NFL in points per game and 30th in rushing. Not exactly the outcome the Vikings envisioned when they hired the former Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks coach to run their offense this year.
It may be a move that is too little, too late for Minnesota and their chances to make some noise in the playoffs this season. But back in 2012, the Baltimore Ravens fired their offensive coordinator with three games remaining in the regular season and proceeded to end up with a Vince Lombardi trophy a few weeks later.
Could a similar outcome now be in store for the Vikings this year?