Danielle Hunter

Mike Zimmer doesn't want Vikings to be 'yo-yo' team

Published Dec. 17, 2015 3:11 p.m. ET

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The Minnesota Vikings (8-5) have lost three out of their last four. Before that, they won five games in a row.

Those ups and downs have coach Mike Zimmer concerned that the Vikings could be a “yo-yo” team, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune via NFL.com.

The Vikings are a team on the rise that’s just going through a few growing pains. Their three losses during this stretch have come against the Packers, Seahawks and Cardinals. All three of those teams almost certainly will be playing in January.

And the Vikings can play in January, too, if they take advantage of a schedule that eases up a little. They have home games against the Bears and Giants before finishing up at Green Bay in a game that still could decide the NFC North. They currently sit in the No. 6 seed and have a two-game cushion on the Buccaneers, Falcons, Eagles and Giants.

Zimmer was a defensive coordinator under Bill Parcells for the Cowboys and talked about how Parcells tried to find consistent players.

“Up one week, down the next. He wanted the same guys all the time,” Zimmer said.

Zimmer is kind of getting that with Teddy Bridgewater. His passer rating as a rookie was 85.2. In his second season it’s 85.3. His completion percentage last season was 64.4. This year it’s 65.3.

After throwing 14 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions in 2014, Bridgewater has nine touchdowns and eight interceptions this year. He might not be making the huge second-year leap many thought he would, but he’s improved in the most important category. He was 6-6 as a starter last year and he’s 8-5 this year.

The Vikings have had contributions from their top six draft picks this season. First-rounder Trae Waynes has broken up four passes. Second-rounder Eric Kendricks has four sacks, and third-rounder Danielle Hunter has 3.5 sacks. Fourth-rounder T.J. Clemmings, a right tackle, has appeared in all 13 games this season. Fifth-round tight end MyCole Pruitt has 10 receptions, and sixth-round wide receiver Stefon Diggs leads the team with 638 receiving yards.

Bridgewater was the second of the Vikings’ two first-round picks in 2014. The first one, linebacker Anthony Barr, got his career off to a promising start with four sacks last year before being slowed a little by injuries this year.

Zimmer voiced a legitimate concern regarding the team’s “yo-yo” body of work this season, but considering the way it’s been building through the two drafts since Zimmer became head coach, the franchise is heading in the right direction.

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