MINNEAPOLIS -- Mike Zimmers team lost a second straight game by a double-digit margin, with a depleted offense sputtering badly.The next day he needed eye surgery.The following morning, his offensive coordinator came into his office at Minnesota Vikings headquarters to inform him of his resignation.All this after overcoming the absences of several injured starters to take the NFLs only 5-0 record this season into the bye week.I feel the roller coaster ride, Zimmer said, flashing a smile thats been rarely spotted on his grizzled face lately.Thats the life of a head coach. Even for assistants. Zimmer took some time after a recent practice to recall his second year in the league, 1995, when he was defensive backs coach for a Dallas team that won the Super Bowl trophy.Beaten by then-rival San Francisco in the previous NFC championship game and again that regular season, the Cowboys slumped a bit in December and needed a win and a one-point loss by the 49ers on the final weekend of play to gain home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Green Bay knocked off San Francisco in the division round, and the Cowboys took down the Packers for the NFC title before beating the Pittsburgh Steelers for the championship.At the end of the year, regardless of what happens, I went in the locker room at the end of the game and said, `My God, that was a long season, Zimmer said. So I get it. Thats just how this thing works. Were not the only team to have ups and downs.Hey, its the NFL.The Vikings (5-2) host Detroit on Sunday, eager to return to raucous U.S. Bank Stadium where theyre unbeaten in three games. The Lions (4-4) know all about those ups and downs, of course, looking back to last years 1-7 start that rendered a 6-2 finish meaningless. This season, every game has been close, winning by four points or fewer each time for a cumulative margin of victory of 11 points. Four defeats, all by a touchdown or less, have come by a total of 18 points.Just take a look at it, and youve always got a chance at this point in time, right? Lions coach Jim Caldwell said. Goals are still in front of you.Here are some key angles to know about the game:MIDSEASON SWITCH: After losing to Minnesota 28-19 in Detroit last year, watching Matthew Stafford take seven sacks, Caldwell fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and both offensive line coaches. Quarterbacks coach Jim Bob Cooter took over the play calling, and Stafford and the Lions were far more effective after that. Theyve kept up that success on offense this season.What we had to do was work extremely hard. You had to little by little kind of piece something new together that we wanted to do, and go from there, Stafford said, recalling the challenge of the change.Though the circumstances are different, the Vikings would love a similar boost for their offense after Norv Turner left and was replaced by Pat Shurmur.Its not on coaches. Were the ones out there. Were the ones that need to play better, tight end Kyle Rudolph said. Moving forward, weve just got to get everybody to do their job. We have the talent and ability to make that happen.PROTECTING THE PASSER: Theres no question about Shurmurs top priority in taking over the offense. Bradford needs better protection than he received the last two games if the Vikings are going to get back on track. Bradford was not only sacked 11 times but hit hard on several other throws, sending him out of sync after playing so crisply and effectively before the bye.I dont think its a good thing, Bradford said. I think weve got to figure out a way to bring that number down.GETTING THERE: Lions defensive end Ezekiel Ansah, who missed three earlier games because of a sprained ankle, is still without a sack. Ansah, who finished 2015 with 14+ sacks, has five sacks in six career games against the Vikings.Maybe the first week or so he got maybe a little bit rusty, but I think without question hes still who he is, Caldwell said.STOPPING THE RUN: The issues with the offense had already been exposed before the loss at Chicago on Monday night, so the ease with which Bears rookie Jordan Howard ran through Minnesotas front seven and secondary was more alarming. Howard rushed 26 times for 153 yards and caught four passes for 49 yards.Thats inexcusable for us on defense, linebacker Chad Greenway said. Thats what we pride ourselves on and have for a long time.STAFFORDS SURGE: Over the last 16 games, mirroring Cooters move into the offensive coordinator role, the Lions are in the top three in the NFL in passer rating, touchdown-to-interception ratio, completion percentage, passing touchdowns and offensive points scored among other categories.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFLJesse Barfield Jersey .Y. -- Sabres forward Drew Stafford has witnessed plenty of turmoil during his eight seasons in Buffalo. Freddy Galvis Blue Jays Jersey . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. http://www.bluejaysonline.com/blue-jays-bud-norris-jersey/ .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Roy Halladay Jersey . Michell Burger, a woman who lives on an estate next to Pistorius gated community, said she and her husband were awoken by the screams in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 14 last year, when Pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp by shooting four times through a door in his bathroom. Justin Smoak Blue Jays Jersey . Oaklands loss to Seattle clinched the ALs best record for the Red Sox with one day to spare in the regular season. "I think everybody was kind of watching," catcher David Ross said. "Demp (Ryan Dempster) came out before he went to the bullpen and was just yelling that they lost. RIO DE JANEIRO -- New, stricter security checks were implemented in Brazilian airports Monday, stalling travelers and delaying flights less than three weeks before Rio de Janeiro hosts the Olympics.Starting at 6 a.m., long, chaotic lines formed at Congonhas regional airport in Brazils biggest city, Sao Paulo. Within a half-hour, more than 700 people were waiting on the buildings first and second floors to pass through security checkpoints. The lines eased up by the afternoon.Smaller airports elsewhere in Sao Paulo state in southern Brazil also reported problems. There were long lines as well at the Santos Dumont regional airport in Rio de Janeiro, where the games are scheduled to open Aug. 5. International airports have not been affected so far.The new measures took effect days after the truck attack that killed 84 people in Nice, France, underscoring potential security threats at big events. Authorities say some 85,000 soldiers and police officers will patrol Rios streets during the Olympics.Also Monday, a police bomb squad responded to a report of a suspicious bag outside an apartment building in Rios wealthy Leblon neighborhood. Officers blocked the street and used a robot to inspect the blue sports bag, which turned out to have only clothes inside.ddddddddddddThis kind of thing isnt typical in Brazil, said Sergio Cabreu, a 68-year-old retiree who lives in a building around the corner. I doubt its anything, but with the Olympics coming up its good to find out.Because of the stricter checks in airports, Brazilian state airport administrator, Infraero, has recommended that travelers now arrive two hours before scheduled domestic flights instead of 30 minutes. At least five flights at Congonhas were delayed Monday, Infraero said.The new procedures include body searches, removal of electronic items from bags before scanning and more thorough luggage inspections.Brazils aviation agency said the steps are necessary.Due to this vacation period and with the proximity of the Olympic Games, demand for air transportation will surely increase, the agency said.Brazilian authorities expect more than 500,000 foreign tourists to visit Rio for the Olympic Games. ' ' '