In what has to be considered a must-win game for the Minnesota Vikings Thursday night, they will be without Mike Zimmer. The head coach just recently underwent emergency surgery on a detached retina in his eye.
Vikings' HC Mike Zimmer is out for tonight's game vs. Dallas, recovering from emergency eye surgery for a detached retina.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 1, 2016
Special teams coach Mike Priefer will take over the head coaching duties against the 10-1 Dallas Cowboys.
Already behind the proverbial eight-ball with a 6-5 record, this puts Minnesota in a less-than-stellar situation on the sideline. Zimmer is considered one of the best in-game coaches in the NFL. No amount of preparation will enable Priefer to duplicate this.
The veteran assistant has been in the NFL since 2002, but hasn’t taken on a role higher than special teams coordinator in those 15 seasons.
Currently one game behind the Detroit Lions in the NFC North, Minnesota needs a win here to remain viable in the division race. It will have to do so against a Cowboys squad that heads into Thursday night in the midst of a 10-game winning streak.