LOS ANGELES -- Check the telephone poles in the Twin Cities on Friday morning. You might see signs that read the following:
MISSING: The Minnesota Vikings' once dominant defense
LAST SEEN: First half of the NFC divisional playoffs
IF FOUND, PLEASE RETURN TO: A team hanging on to its championship aspirations
The Vikings defense is in the midst of an identity crisis. Four games into the season, after a 38-31 loss to the Rams, the backbone of this team has morphed into its Achilles heel.
Where did Mike Zimmer’s vaunted scheme go, the one that ranked first in points and yards allowed per game in 2017 and recorded a historic third-down conversion rate at 25.