Mike Zimmer's most embarrassing loss as a head coach could be blamed on injuries, or a reliance on a 31-year-old running back with a knee injury, or any of a dozen bumbling offensive plays.
But to blame the offense for a heartless 34-6 loss at home to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday would be to ignore how the Minnesota Vikings were built, and who they are supposed to be.
Zimmer was hired because of his defensive acumen and leadership. His first mandate was rebuilding a tattered defense, and he did while earning a reputation as an inspirational figure.
On Sunday, Zimmer coached his team in a game with playoff implications, in front of a sellout crowd at home, while wearing a patch over a surgically repaired eye, and his defenders played like his name was Les Steckel.
The Vikings offense shouldn't have tried to force-feed the ball to Adrian Peterson, but the offense in its current state is supposed to be this team's least important phase.
The defense is supposed to lead this team, and it never showed up.
Colts running back Frank Gore is 33. He had reached 100 rushing yards just once since the end of the 2014 season before Sunday, when he rushed 26 times for 101 yards. As a team, the Colts rushed 40 times for 161 yards and two touchdowns, including one by Robert Turbin during which he broke or avoided four tackles before spinning into the end zone.
Behind an offensive line that had been as battered and ineffective as the Vikings', Andrew Luck was not sacked once. He had time to complete passes to eight different receivers.
