Mike Zimmer Rips Vikings' Effort After 34-6 Loss vs. Colts

The Minnesota Vikings' collapse continued in Week 15 with their worst loss of the season, a 34-6 drubbing at home against the Indianapolis Colts, and left their head coach Mike Zimmer questioning the effort of his team.  

"I want to find out who's going to fight because that wasn't a fighting performance," Zimmer told reporters after the game, per the Vikings' official Twitter account. "If they're not going to fight, they're going to get their butt out."

A season that started out on such a high note has made a complete 180. The Vikings were 5-0 heading into their Week 6 bye, an impressive feat because Adrian Peterson only played two games before suffering a torn meniscus and made possible largely thanks to a defense that allowed 63 points during that stretch. 

Coming out of the bye, however, the Vikings have fallen apart. They have lost seven of their last nine games to sit at .500 with two games left, trailing the Detroit Lions (9-5) and Green Bay Packers (8-6) in the NFC North. 

The offense has been a problem all season. Quarterback Sam Bradford is having the best statistical season of his career with a completion percentage of 71.6, 14 touchdowns and four interceptions. But his 6.92 yards per attempt ranks 22nd among all quarterbacks. 

Like Zimmer, Bradford was left searching for answers following Sunday's loss, per the Vikings' official Twitter account: "It was about as tough and as ugly as they get today."

Peterson made his return to the lineup against the Colts but was a non-factor with 22 yards on six carries. The 2012 NFL MVP has 72 rushing yards on 37 carries in 2016, due in no small part to an offensive line that Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus rated as the NFL's second-worst before Week 11. 

Because Minnesota's offense is so vanilla due to Bradford's limitations as a quarterback and a porous offensive line that is providing no help, the defense has to be perfect each week. The Vikings gave up 411 total yards to the Colts, whose offense was on the field for 37 minutes. 

Zimmer is right to challenge his team for a dreadful performance, but this season is doing more to prove the early-season success was more of a happy accident than an indication the Vikings were going to be serious Super Bowl contenders.