In 2024, Zimmer, the former Vikings boss, returns to the spotlight as the Cowboys DC
Mike Zimmer was nearing the end of his seventh season with the Minnesota Vikings, a squad that was unable to overcome its own obstacles. The Vikings finished 2021 with an 8-9 record, but they were a defense-phobic club who had no idea how to play good defense.
Given that Zimmer has long been regarded as one of the NFL’s top defensive coordinators, this made him sick. The Vikings’ squad, which was ranked 30th on defense, kept losing and dropped farther in the standings. The previous season, the Vikings had one of their worst defensive games in team history and were 27th in yards allowed.
That was the 2020 Christmas Day matchup with the New Orleans Saints. The Saints were the hot knife, and the Vikings defense was the butter. Not everything about New Orleans’ 52-33 victory was about the score. The Vikings lost their defensive confidence until this season after giving up seven running touchdowns, six of which went to Alvin Kamara.
The Vikings’ defensive woes persisted until 2023, when they brought in Brian Flores to turn things around. For around three-quarters of the season, he performed just that.
However, Zimmer is now given another opportunity as the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive coordinator. When the Dallas season begins, Zimmer will be 68 years old, but this could be his once-in-a-lifetime chance to win a championship. He was a very successful defensive coach with the Cowboys from 1994 to 2006; he gets along well with both Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones, who is the team’s second-best player.
That might have a significant impact on Zimmer as the 2024 season goes on.
The Cowboys took advantage of the Philadelphia Eagles’ devastating collapse in the last stretch of the season to secure first place and win the NFC East last year.
The squad lost badly to the young Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round despite being the No. 2 seed in the NFC and seemingly headed for a clash with the San Francisco 49ers.
The NFC’s seventh-seeded club caught head coach Mike McCarthy and his team off guard, and many analysts predicted that McCarthy would be fired by Jerry Jones. McCarthy’s employment seemed unachievable, but the Cowboys managed to retain him.
