Scoggins: Vikings' poor performance was a total team effort

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Mike Zimmer billed himself as a "fixer." The Vikings needed him to be a miracle worker on Thursday.

What a debacle.

The Vikings kept their border battle with the Green Bay Packers interesting for about, oh, 3 minutes until Christian Ponder performed his usual meltdown.

Rain fell and Ponder's passes fluttered and the Vikings had zero chance to turn a bad situation into anything other than what transpired on a dreary night at Lambeau Field.

Final score: Packers 42, Vikings 10, in a game as competitive as varsity vs. junior varsity.

"We didn't show up at all," cornerback Captain Munnerlyn said. "We got embarrassed."

Not show up? How does that even happen? Against this opponent in this stadium?

Yep, his checklist pretty much covered it.

Zimmer's brief tenure as Vikings coach already has been bumpier than a gravel road. This no-show performance by his team against its division rival was not a good look for anyone in Purple, coaching staff included.

"We've got to want it more than our opponent does," Robison said. "I didn't feel like we wanted it more than our opponent. Guys had their head down. That's not stuff you want to see on the sidelines."

Call it the Ponder effect.

News of Ponder's emergency start in place of Teddy Bridgewater lowered expectations to nil. Bridgewater's injury had to be emotionally deflating, knowing they had to put their faith in Ponder instead.

"This is a tough one," wide receiver Greg Jennings said. "But it happens, and hopefully we grow from it."

Nobody should escape blame for this mess, although Ponder's display put to rest any notion he might benefit from Norv Turner's coaching.

For the sake of everyone's sanity, Ponder should never take another snap for the Vikings. His time in Minnesota should be done, even in emergency situations. Why not make Chandler Harnish or McLeod Bethel-Thompson the backup to Bridgewater?

Ponder threw passes high and wide and to the other team. He threw interceptions on consecutive possessions in the first half, including a pick-six to Julius Peppers.

Ponder looked as jumpy as ever in the pocket. He held on to the ball too long, didn't see open receivers.

The Vikings defense needed to play a perfect game to stand a chance, but that unit faltered early, too.

It allowed Eddie Lacy to run free for 53 yards on Green Bay's first scoring drive. Lacy had not rushed for that many yards total in any of the Packers' first four games.

On the next possession, Jordy Nelson turned safety Harrison Smith around on a double move and hauled in a wide-open 66-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers.

That gave the Packers a 14-0 lead and it might as well have been 140-0 with Ponder at quarterback. The Vikings weren't digging out of that hole.

Their performance became a comedy of errors:

Everson Griffen jumped offsides twice on third down.

Pinned deep all first half, the Vikings finally crossed midfield on Matt Asiata's 11-yard run … and he fumbled the ball.

On and on, it went.

The Vikings should remove this game from their laptops and iPads. No sense in reliving a performance in which they basically did nothing.

"My job is to get the football team to move forward," Zimmer said. "We didn't do that. So if I have to hurt some feelings, I'm going to hurt some feelings. I don't care because my feelings are hurt, too."