LAKEVILLE, Minn. –Every NFL season is a story, and Captain Munnerlyn hopes the 2016 Vikings narrative has a happy ending.

Munnerlyn joined KFAN's Dan Barreiro on-air during a live broadcast from the **Toys for Tots drive on Tuesday**. The cornerback said in his eight-year NFL career he's never experienced a season with this much adversity.

"It feels like it's happening every single week," Munnerlyn said. "But we look at it as a team, and every guy in the locker room, we're like, 'Man, this story's going to be really even better.' That's how we're looking at it."

Most recently, the Vikings were without Head Coach Mike Zimmer, who underwent emergency eye surgery last Wednesday, when they suffered a two-point loss to the Cowboys on Thursday Night Football.

When Zimmer returned to practice Tuesday, however, Munnerlyn said the straightforward coach hadn't missed a step.

"He let us know that our backs are against a wall," Munnerlyn said. "We have to come out swinging."

Zimmer told the 6-6 team that there's no room for error down the final stretch. If the Vikings still hope to fulfill their goal of making the playoffs, they can't afford to make the mistakes they have as of late.

"He was just letting us know, when we were 5-0, we were doing things right," Munnerlyn said. "The ball was rolling our way.

"If you make those mistakes, that's what hurts you in a football game," he added. "It's going to come down to four or five plays in the NFL – it's always like that."

During the game against Dallas, Minnesota was forced to settle for field goals rather than touchdowns on three different occasions, including an offensive drive that resulted from a forced fumble and recovery by the defense.

When asked if there's animosity in the locker room between the two sides of the ball, Munnerlyn said it's important not to allow a divisive mindset set in.

"It's tough as a human being, but as a team, we know that we're going to have ups and downs as a team," Munnerlyn said. "We win and lose with a team effort."

He added that the defense felt equally responsible for a number of plays that took place throughout the game.

"I'm a firm believer that if they don't score, they don't win – that's how I feel as a defensive player," Munnerlyn said. "We did give up some points. We might have played well on defense, but at the same time, we lost as a team."

He added: "We have to learn how to win as a team again."

As the team prepares this week for Jacksonville, Munnerlyn said the Vikings are continuing to take each game at a time and haven't lost heart.

"If we make it to the playoffs, anything can happen if we make that run," Munnerlyn said. "You get hot at the right time, you never know what's going to happen."