The Patriots are multiple time Super Bowl winners. They have the most successful quarterback in professional Football history. They may have the best coach in professional Football. They are nearly impossible to beat in their building. Cheating aside, those facts can't be ignored, even if you dislike them for the cheating.
I want those logical statements to help balance the frustration for how bad the team played again today. There are many questions and there may not be good answers to them, but I'm going to take a stab at it.
Has Zimmer lost the locker room?
I don't think so. Video from the locker room gives no indication of that. I don't see the players on the field going out of their way to ignore instructions and plans and good ideas. See Ty Montgomery for an example of a guy who didn't care about what the coach or anyone who cared, wanted to be done.
Did the Vikings make the wrong choice at quarterback?
Again, I don't think so. People have short term memories but just look at how he matched & out played the "greatest" quarterback - Aaron Rodgers - last Sunday night. The biggest difference between the Green Bay game and the Bears/Patriots games is that the offensive line was able to give Cousins enough time to see and throw passes further than five yards. It goes back to the thing that fans have been clamoring for in the lead up to each of the last 3 or 5 or 7 drafts, offensive linemen. I would not have put New England in the same class of Chicago for defensive line ability but I have to put some of the blame for Cousins' performance today on the offensive line.
Would it be better to just lose out?
No. I know people like to panic and like to be frustrated and then say things while frustrated but the team already have 6 wins. Should they have more? Absolutely! But they still have a great chance of making the playoffs. Getting in and facing either the Bears again or Dallas doesn't scare me. Well, Chicago a little bit but I want to see how the Vikings do against them in 17. Get a win in the first round to set up a rematch with either the Rams or Saints. Based on the games that happened only a couple weeks ago against those teams and maybe, just may it could be another NFC Championship game season. I'll roll the dice for that possibility. Gladly!
Should the Vikings switch things up among the coaching staff right now?
This is a tougher one to answer. Zimmer seems irritated by how the offense goes but he's also shown that his reactions to things aren't fully trustworthy. Granted, the offense operation is different than the field goal kicking but he's the connecting element. Maybe Fili doesn't need to be fired jut yet but there needs to be changes made that aren't successful at odd intervals or for just one week. It won't win me any confidence points but I have no idea what the changes are that can be made right now to help the team succeed for the rest of the season. All I can say is that I don't think staff shake up should be the only option considered to try and stabilize Cousins' crew.
Are there other questions that it could be useful to address? Maybe. Probably. I'm definitely willing to have discussions about any other ideas or questions and concerns that you have about the Vikings right now but that's my venting for now.