After snoozing their way through the first half of their Week 18 game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings woke up, hit the gas and powered their way to a 31-17 victory to finish the season 8-9.
While missing the playoffs, not winning the division and playing meaningless games to close out the year was not part of the plan, the win allows for a little bit of a better taste for players and fans alike heading into a long offseason where changes are expected.
Following then game, head coach Mike Zimmer shared with the media that he has not heard about the status of his job heading into the future. "It's not my choice", he told the assembled media. Behind closed doors though, the decision might already be made. Reports popped up Sunday morning that both coaches in this game, Matt Nagy and Mike Zimmer, were expected to lose their jobs by Monday turning the page for each organization.
Officially though, we still have not received word.
If this is it, Zimmer will finish his tenure as Vikings head coach with a 72-56-1 record, but it's the playoffs that have eluded him, specifically deep runs. Having missed the playoffs entirely in 3 of the last 4 seasons and losing that one game appearance, that might be what pushed the decision to move on if one is made.