How have the Vikings performed after a bye under Mike Zimmer?
By Adam Patrick
Since their current head coach arrived in 2014, how have the Minnesota Vikings done with an extra week off to prepare for the next opponent on their schedule?
With the Minnesota Vikings having their bye last week, it feels like it’s been forever since they last stepped out on the field. Thankfully, the Vikings will return to action on Monday night for a big road matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.
It’s typically viewed as an advantage for a team to get an extra week to get healthier and prepare for a matchup. So has this been the case for the Vikings since Mike Zimmer became their head coach in 2014?
Well, not exactly. During Zimmer’s first five seasons, Minnesota has only won two of their five matchups that have come immediately after their bye week.
The Vikings’ three losses came in 2014 to the Chicago Bears, in 2016 to the Philadelphia Eagles, and in 2018 to the Bears again. All three of these matchups had Minnesota playing on the road, something they will have to do on Monday when they take on the Seahawks.
Under Zimmer, the Vikings’ two wins after their bye week happened in 2015 against the Kansas City Chiefs and in 2017 against the Washington Redskins. That win for Minnesota in 2017 came over a Redskins team that had Kirk Cousins as their starting quarterback.
Speaking of Cousins, the current Vikings signal-caller has only been able to lead his teams to just one win in four matchups directly after their bye week since 2015.
Despite their past not being the best with an extra seven days of rest, Minnesota and their veteran quarterback have already killed a bunch of narratives this year and Monday in Seattle will be an opportunity to eliminate another one.
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Keep in mind, during the two seasons in which the Vikings won their first matchup after their bye week, they had at least eight wins after their first 11 games of the year. This is something that Minnesota has also accomplished this season, so don’t count them out of their showdown with the Seahawks just yet.