However the 2016 season ends for the Vikings, they will have dealt with as much adversity as any Vikings team in recent memory, if not ever.
From the Teddy Bridgewater injury to the Sam Bradford trade to injuries that have resulted in the placement of Adrian Peterson, Matt Kalil, and Andre Smith on injured reserve to a shocking 5-0 start to a two-game losing streak that left them looking like one of the worst teams in football to the abrupt resignation of offensive coordinator Norv Turner, the roller coaster continues to rocket from highs to lows.
This one may bring the open-air purple train to lowest of the lows, especially as the Vikings try to right a sinking ship. At the end of the same day devoted to game planning, Turner communicated his resignation to head coach Mike Zimmer. Now, at a time when the Vikings should be installing that plan in an effort to be best prepared to face the Lions, the Vikings are trying to process this unexpected turn of events.
Zimmer told reporters within the hour that he has yet to meet with the team. Quarterback Sam Bradford later told reporters he learned of the move not from the organization but from his wife, who received an alert on her phone regarding the move.
Bradford, as a result, has yet to even talk to new offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur about the approach to be employed only four days from now, when Minnesota hosts Detroit.
And so on what otherwise is the most important day of the workweek, the Vikings will be distracted by the news of Turner’s sudden disappearance, wondering while they process the development why he threw in the towel on a 5-2 team. The only good news for the Vikings is that they’ve encountered plenty of dysfunction this year, which may make them even more prepared to process the latest screwball from one of the screwiest seasons any team could ever endure.