Mike Zimmer worries about Minnesota Vikings' defense



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LOS ANGELES – Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer struggled to understand how his defense was hindered for a second week in a row after a 38-31 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

The Vikings helped Los Angeles get 556 yards of offense on Thursday night, allowing Jared Goff to complete 26 of 33 passes for 465 yards and five touchdowns and a perfect score (158.3).

In five years in Minnesota, Zimmer has never seen his defense struggling so bad against the pass. The same problems continue to appear at every match, with opposing receivers left open, and Zimmer is unable to solve the problem.

"At this point, I do not know," Zimmer said. "Probably, wherever I went, I've never been so poor in pass coverage, so we'll have to look at everything we do to get back to things properly."

The Vikings coach, Mike Zimmer, said he was "worried all year long" by the bad game of his defense. Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images

Three Rams receivers – Cooper Kupp, Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods – have spent 100-yard reception nights. Linebacker Anthony Barr has become a pawn in the game of Sean McVay, L.A.'s coach, who beat the Vikings with smart gaming tips.

First, Todd Gurley received an 8-yard TD rocket where the defending offensive player left the backfield and left Barr flat. Then, when Goff stepped down for a pass in the second quarter, Kupp made a run on the back and went 70 yards into the end zone with Barr in his dust. Woods' 31-yard touchdown allowed Barr to catch another receiver.

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"Just a good plan," said Barr. "They caught us in an individual blanket and were able to make a good pitch and a good catch."

What's troubling for Zimmer is that it's the same pattern the Vikings faced a year ago and held seven points at the US Bank Stadium. Four of Goff's five touchdowns were in the first half, a blatant figure for a defense that allowed QBs to wreak havoc in the first half in consecutive weeks. The defense also had trouble getting around the pirates game to put pressure on the quarter-grade third.

"We made mistakes, we left a bunch of guys open and they have a good plan," Zimmer said. "They do not give you too many passes back if you can rush the quarterback.There's a lot of play action where they block eight or nine guys, and it's hard to reach him."

The Rams scored just over one goal per game and scored 13 yards per pass. The pride of Zimmer's defense lies in the limitation of big games, but the disintegration of last year's No.2 defense is a separate responsibility. Minnesota have allowed 10 league scrimmages to reach at least 30 yards or more in the first quarter of the season, with five of those gains taking place on Thursday night.

"Yeah, I'm concerned," Zimmer said. "I worried all year, we did not play well defensively.

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