5 most disappointing Vikings in their Week 17 loss to the Packers

Mike Zimmer

Mike Zimmer has been disappointing all season, and in what could be his final game at Lambeau Field, that trend continued. Zimmer, first of all, made a head-scratching decision to start Sean Mannion over the rookie Kellen Mond. Sure Mannion is a veteran, but he had never thrown a touchdown in the NFL and hasn’t shown much in the opportunities he’s been given, and he definitely isn’t the future at the position.

He was also coming off the Reserve/COVID-19 list and hadn’t practiced in a week. Mond would’ve given the Vikings offense a bit of an unknown element, and while it could’ve been a disaster, at least that move would’ve given a glimpse into Mond’s potential, and a more informed decision about his future with the team could’ve been made.

That was strike one. Strike two was just the way the team came out and played. There was no fire to this team in a game that they had to have to keep their playoff hopes alive. They couldn’t get any pressure on Aaron Rodgers, and then he had corners like Kris Boyd and Mackensie Alexander attempting to cover Davante Adams, and they had no chance.

The team soon found themselves down by 20 points and weren’t competitive as they watched their season go down in flames. It has been a very disappointing season for Zimmer, and the way this game played out was a fitting end.

Zimmer’s third strike and most disappointing moment came after the game. In the post-game press conference, he was asked if he wanted to get a longer look at Mond in the meaningless season finale against the Bears. His response was “not particularly,” and then when pushed as to why, he stated that he “sees him every day.”

That was a pretty heartless thing to say to a rookie quarterback whose confidence could definitely be shaken by the comments of his head coach. That negative comment does no help for the future of this team, and whether or not he remains the head coach, he should’ve shown more respect to the young quarterback.