4 takeaways from the Vikings loss to the Packers in Week 1

No reason to panic yet

So the Vikings lost their first game of the season. They’ve been in this position plenty of times before and the only other time it’s happened with Mike Zimmer as the team’s head coach was back in 2015, when they couldn’t do anything right in a 20-3 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Guess what happened after that Week 1 game in 2015? Minnesota went on to win the NFC North with an 11-5 record and the 49ers only won four of their remaining 15 matchups. So the Vikings losing their season-opener to the Packers on Sunday certainly isn’t a reason to give up hope and start preparing for the 2021 NFL Draft.

With no preseason, this is going to be one of the weirdest years in NFL history and the first few games of the season likely aren’t going to reveal who the top teams are around the league. Three of Minnesota’s next five opponents also lost this week (possibly four after Monday night), so they have plenty of time to get back on track.

We need to also remember that there are now seven playoff spots in each conference up for grabs this season for the first time in NFL history. This will allow for teams that struggle early in the year to have a better shot at sneaking in the postseason if they are able to eventually figure things out.

For those wondering, the Vikings have finished among the NFC’s top seven teams in four of their six years with Zimmer as their head coach. So can we wait a few more weeks before declaring the season is finished and we start posting #TankForTrevor all over the internet?