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Access Vikings morning walkthrough: Would nine wins be a failure, rookies out-snapping sophomores and more

Columnist Jim Souhan says that if the Vikings don't make it to 10 victories, this season should be considered a failure for coach Mike Zimmer.

By Matt Vensel

December 14, 2015 at 2:24PM

Every weekday, we walk you through what's going on with the Vikings.

WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED

— Sid Hartman thinks that if the Vikings get everyone healthy in the next couple of weeks, they will play for a NFC North title in Week 17.

— Jim Souhan says that if the Vikings don't make it to 10 wins, this season should be considered a failure for head coach Mike Zimmer.

— Patrick Reusse believes that Vikings fans are treating Teddy Bridgewater differently than they did another black quarterback, Daunte Culpepper.

BEHIND ENEMY LINES

— With head coach Mike McCarthy back calling the plays, the first-place Packers rolled to 28 points and 435 yards in a win over the Cowboys.

— The Bears had a chance to make a run down the stretch, but two straight losses, the latest to the Redskins, show they just aren't very good.

— Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson caught one pass in yesterday's loss.

TODAY'S VIKINGS SCHEDULE

Players have another day off. They'll be back in the building tomorrow.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

The Vikings got significant snaps from six of the 10 members of their 2015 draft class in Thursday's loss to the Cardinals. And for the second straight season, they have put their most recent draft class to work immediately. Interestingly, though, they are getting contributions from more rookies than second-year players right now. 2014 third-round picks Scott Crichton and Jerick McKinnon have had minor roles beyond special teams. Antone Exum, Shamar Stephen and Jabari Price are on injured reserve. And Brandon Watts has not played much beyond the Raiders game. But hey, their top two picks from that class are kind of playing big roles. Bridgewater and Anthony Barr are two of their most important players.