Zimmer: Many of our first-half struggles were Cousins' fault

Kirk Cousins' Vikings were trailing 14-7 at halftime. Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

HC Mike Zimmer: Many of Vikings' first-half struggles were QB Kirk Cousins' fault

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 9/12/21

The Minnesota Vikings struggled on offense in the first half of their season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, and coach Mike Zimmer didn’t hold back at halftime.

With Minnesota trailing 14-7 at the half, Fox sideline reporter Jennifer Hale shared on the air that Zimmer had laid the blame for the poor performance at the feet of quarterback Kirk Cousins, who Zimmer accused of holding onto the ball for too long.

Jen Hale just reported Mike Zimmer told her he blames many of the 1st half offensive problems on Kirk Cousins holding onto the ball too long. Oof.

— Phil Mackey (@PhilMackey) September 12, 2021

In general, coaches don’t like to single out players like this, especially in a fairly casual halftime interview. It’s not exactly a great sign for Cousins if Zimmer is comfortable putting him on blast like this.

The bottom line is that Zimmer just doesn’t seem to have a lot of faith in Cousins to run the offense. That was hinted at in a somewhat eyebrow-raising quote earlier in the week. This dynamic will be very interesting to watch for the remainder of the season.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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