10 quick thoughts on the Vikings loss to the Lions in Week 13

Instead of beating a winless Detroit Lions team, the Minnesota Vikings suffered their seventh loss of the 2021 season.

Favored to win by eight points, Sunday was just supposed to be an opportunity for the Minnesota Vikings to get their season back on track against a Detroit Lions that hadn’t earned a victory since 2020.

Instead, the Vikings played down to their opponent and the Lions escaped with their first win of the season thanks to a last-second touchdown pass.

Minnesota is now sitting with a 5-7 record and the playoffs are basically out of reach unless they figure out a way to win at least four of their final five games. But based on what happened in Detroit on Sunday, no one should be counting on the Vikings earning a spot in the postseason this year.

Quick thoughts on the Vikings loss to the Lions

Zimmer’s fate appears to be sealed: Mike Zimmer’s seat has been on fire multiple times this season, but on Sunday, his seat became fully engulfed in flames.

Minnesota is heading towards missing the playoffs for the third time in the last three seasons and a loss against a winless Lions team isn’t going to instill confidence in the Vikings’ owners who will have to make a decision about Zimmer’s future in the near future.

Injuries continue to pile up: Already without several top players on Sunday including Eric Kendricks, Anthony Barr, Dalvin Cook, the Vikings saw Adam Thielen go down early on Sunday with an ankle injury. Thielen wasn’t ruled out of the game until the second half, but one should expect the veteran receiver to at least miss Minnesota’s next matchup on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.