Mike Zimmer gave his coaching staff time to digest a complex season, sending the assistants home for a week before it was time to evaluate and make decisions. Upon their return, as coaches met with the front office to create a plan of attack for the crucial coming months, they returned to a certain game that they felt underscored the importance of a single player.



Visions went back to Dec. 23, a Monday Night Football game in front of the nation. Dalvin Cook wore a purple sweatshirt with the hood up, the first time he’d missed a game all season. He often stood behind Mike Zimmer, the stalwart coach who stared at the field where his offense struggled to do much of anything in a home game against the Green Bay Packers. When it was over, Zimmer tersely shook the hand of Packers coach Matt LaFleur and walked past a scoreboard flashing the reality of the offense’s futility. They finished with 139 yards. Only seven first downs.



That, combined with Cook’s...