*Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer *

Getting ready for a very good Rams team. They're very good defensively, very physical upfront. Great three technique. Very good special teams specialists. Offensively, fast break offense. We're going to need our fans nice and loud there. No huddle, they do a lot of checking at the line of scrimmage. Great backs, good receivers. Quarterback is playing well. Ready to go.

Q: Who is starting at quarterback on Sunday?

A: Case Keenum.

Q: Was Case Keenum's performance on Sunday the deciding factor on sticking with him?

A: That was part of it.

Q: How were the deliberations in trying to come to that conclusion?

A: Not difficult.

Q: Is Teddy Bridgewater ready to play in a game?

A: Yes, otherwise he wouldn't dress.

Q: What has made Jared Goff effective this season for them?

A: He is doing a good job of getting the ball to the right places. He's reading the coverages. They get up to the line quickly and they probably tell him what it is going in. Then he checks a different play, like the colleges do. So he has a good idea of what is going on. He throws the ball vertically very well.

Q: Did you even look at the tape of Jared Goff last year?

A: We played them in the preseason.

Q: What has happened to them, what are they doing?

A: They're really effective. They're really efficient at what they do. They line up, they run a lot of the same plays. Different formations, same plays. They'll run them over and over and over and over. They're good at it. You get better at what you do.

Q: What is the signature of Wade Phillips' defense?

A: Five man rush, two outside linebackers rushing. They're playing under with it with Aaron Donald being the three technique which is a handful, and then these two outside linebackers are difficult to block.* *

Q: What is your message to the team this week? You want to go one week at a time and take care of your own business, but do you want to embrace that and take charge?

A: We haven't really talked about that. We just talked about what we need to do to try to beat this team. We really haven't talked about that.

Q: In your experience, what makes Andrew Whitworth a great left tackle?

A: Well, he's huge, number one. He is smart. He's got good feet. Typically, he likes to set with his hands out. He doesn't give you his hands a lot. He's a tough guy. He's always been a tough guy.

Q: With Andrew Whitworth for them and Riley Reiff for you, is that an example of how a left tackle can really rejuvenate an offensive running game?

A: Yes, but I think it's more than that. They've got a really good runner. I think we've got more than a left tackle, and they do too.

Q: Did you look at Todd Gurley much?

A: We look at them all. He's great. He's physical, fast. He had a big year as a rookie. Coming off that knee injury. He's running good now. He does a great job on the screen. He's had ten touchdowns. Three of them were passing so he's doing good.

Q: How do you game plan for Aaron Donald?

A: Well it's not easy. You try and get two hands on him as much as possible. You get him on the ground as much as you can – trap him, cut him. 

Q: It seems like the offensive line will have their hands full, correct?

A: Yes, he's really quick. He gets on the edges of guys and gets them turned and that's where they're making a lot of hay. Their plus-seven in turnovers. They seemed in every game ball game to get a turnover down inside the 20-yard line and get short field for their offense. They've been really good at that.

Q: Would you expect Everson to be back at full strength?

A: Yes.

Q: I know you were frustrated with the late interceptions Case Keenum threw. What do you and Pat Shurmur tell him specifically regarding those interceptions?

A: Don't do that.

Q: How do you think some of the good three techniques that Pat Elflein has faced this year has helped him prepare for Aaron Donald?

A: He's going to get the nose-tackle most of the day this week. Pat's a tough aggressive guy. He's physical, very competitive, quick.

Q: What does Sean McVay's offense remind you of anybody?

A: It real similar to Washington, real similar to the Washington offense.

Q: Could you have imagined being a head coach at 30?

A: I was trying to figure out where to eat at 30, probably.

Q: What can you say about the offensive line this year?

A: They've done a great job. Tony Sparano has done a great job with them. We've got the right kind of guys – tough, physical, smart, work together. They don't really care who gets the credit, matter of fact, they don't even like me to call out their name in meetings. They get fined, even if it's a good thing. That's just the kind of guys they are. 

Q: What do you think has made Wade Phillips such a successful coach?

A: He's a good coach and he tries to take away your good guys. The whole deal is pressure on the quarterback. They've got five first-rounders in the front seven, so they have a lot of good players. They try and get after the quarterback, play good in coverage in the back end.