The 3-0 Minnesota Vikings have a really, really good head coach

Assuming the New England Patriots don’t somehow get worse when Tom Brady returns, Bill Belichick will be your NFL coach of the year. That should be wrapped up already.

But Mike Zimmer is off to a heck of a start himself.

The Minnesota Vikings lost their starting quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater, to a freak knee injury right before the season started. Then they lost their future Hall-of-Fame running back, Adrian Peterson, for a majority of the season to a knee injury suffered last week. And in Week 3 they had to go on the road and play the Carolina Panthers, who went 15-1 last season.

And yet there were the Vikings, delivering the Panthers their first loss in Charlotte since Nov. 16, 2014. The Vikings handled the defending NFC champions, winning 22-10 after falling behind 10-0 early in the game. It was impressive.

Zimmer has been great this season, but the whole staff has done a remarkable job. The offensive coaches did well to get quarterback Sam Bradford comfortable in about two weeks before his first Vikings start. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner is doing a great job calling plays. Defense is Zimmer’s forte, and Minnesota’s has been amazing so far. A safety on a sack by Danielle Hunter when the Vikings were down 10-0 got the Vikings going on Sunday. They sacked Cam Newton eight times. Minnesota’s offense wasn’t great on Sunday, with just 211 yards and 13 first downs, but the defense made sure it didn’t matter.

Despite obstacles that have ruined other teams, the Vikings sit at 3-0 in first place of the NFC North. It’s the Vikings’ first 3-0 start since 2009.

Zimmer wasn’t a lock as a head-coaching candidate, when he was the Cincinnati Bengals’ defensive coordinator. He interviewed with the Tennessee Titans, who gave the job to Ken Whisenhunt instead (ouch). Other teams never gave Zimmer a serious look. Zimmer wasn’t the kind of hire that drew a bunch of big headlines when the Vikings tabbed him. But it has turned out to be a magnificent choice. He’s a creative defensive coach, and players seem to have the utmost respect for him. The Vikings hired one of the best head coaches in football, and nobody knew it at the time.

So the Vikings can lose their starting quarterback, and even a legendary running back. They still have their head coach, so they’re just fine.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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