EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. —The stakes could be higher, but not much more so for Week 11.
The Vikings (5-4) and the Cardinals (4-4-1) still have their goals of winning their respective divisions for a second straight year, but have plenty of work ahead of them. That starts at noon (CT) Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium.
After an against-all-odds — and in the face of injuries — 5-0 start, Minnesota has dropped four straight games, including two in a row by six points each. Detroit has an identical 5-4 mark and a tiebreaker by claiming a 22-16 win in overtime on Nov. 6.
Against the backdrop of mounting frustrations, Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer has also seen some positives as the season continues to evolve.
"We've been fortunate with some of the other things that have happened in the league that we're still in a good place. We can go out and win," Zimmer said. "I know everybody thinks I'm crazy, but my goal is to win the division. So, go out and get some wins and get going again. That's all. The last two ball games have been [close and], honestly, could go either way. We didn't win them, so we just need to get a couple of these either-way games and win. That's kind of what happened at the beginning of the season. So, it's a seven-game season now."
The Vikings still lead the NFL in scoring defense (16.9 points allowed per game) and rank third in yards allowed per game (308.8), but wins are the ultimate reinforcement in sports, even capable of masking areas where teams need to improve.
Zimmer was asked during a session with Twin Cities media members if he's changed much in his approach or message, and he said it hasn't been difficult to manage. It's a topic that also piqued Arizona reporters' interests.
"They asked me in the Arizona phone call today, 'How do I keep the team mentally stable?' I said, 'Well, I have to worry about myself first,' " Zimmer said. "This is what the NFL is, it's not one of those for the faint of hearts.
"You've got to fight for 16 weeks. You've got to grind. You've got to keep going. The weak-minded typically don't make it very far. We're going to continue to stay strong-minded. I remind myself that we have good football players that will do good things. When we get the opportunities, we're going to win games. Don't know when it is, but that's our plan and that's our mission."
Zimmer, who had previously only lost three games in a row once (in 2014 — his first season as Vikings coach), opted to have music blaring during the players' stretching and open periods of practice on Wednesday.
"I'm a pretty much stay-the-course guy, but there's times when you need to change and change things up, try different things," Zimmer said. "Honestly, it depends on the week. Like I said before, our team is not used to losing, so this is a different deal for them. So, we're just going to put our head down and fight."
The Vikings have, however, experienced changes in the past two weeks with the resignation of Norv Turner and promotion of Pat Shurmur to interim offensive coordinator. Minnesota also **signed** Kai Forbath and released Blair Walsh this week. The placement of Jake Long on injured reserve — Minnesota's third tackle to require surgery this season — also led to the **addition*** *of Rashod Hill.
The Cardinals also encountered a rough patch in 2016, opening the season 1-3 with home losses to the Patriots (23-21 while Tom Brady was suspended) and Los Angeles Rams (17-13). Arizona also faltered at Buffalo in Week 3. Since dropping three of four, Arizona is 3-1-1.
Cardinals Head Coach Bruce Arians, who — like Zimmer — spent 20 seasons as an NFL assistant before being hired as a head coach, said he didn't change much for Arizona.
"We know our system works. The process works," Arians said. "Just stick to it; you don't have to change anything. Come to work, preparation is the key to success. You don't panic. You just keep doing what you believe in.
"We talked about it. We've won a bunch of ball games in the last three years by doing it this way," Arians said. "[You] find out why you're losing, get it pinpointed and correct it. Ours was not making critical plays at the end of the game."
The Cardinals are tied for third in the NFL in points allowed per game (17.8) and rank second in yards allowed per game (295.2).
Arians is 39-20-1 in regular-season games with Arizona and 11-2 in November games.
"We've been fortunate to be in the hunt. When you're in the hunt, the guys are hungry to come to work," Arians said. "As long as you can stay in the hunt, good things will happen. Our quarterbacks have played extremely well at that time of year, and we would anticipate that to continue."
Dallas is leading the NFC with an 8-1 record. Seattle is next with a 6-2-1 mark, followed by the New York Giants (6-3) and the Atlanta Falcons (6-4). Washington, Philadelphia and Detroit each have five wins, including one apiece against Minnesota.
"If you have aspirations of going to the playoffs, you've got to keep pace with everybody else and gain ground," Arians said. "It's an extremely important game for both teams."
