MINNEAPOLIS _ Vikings offensive coordinator John DeFilippo was fired Tuesday morning, the team announced. Quarterbacks coach Kevin Stefanski will take over the position on an interim basis.
The Vikings lost to Seattle on Monday night 21-7 in a game in which the offense struggled. A late touchdown pass prevented the team from being shut out for the first time since November, 2007.
The relationship between head coach Mike Zimmer and DeFilippo has been much discussed in the past month, as the team's offense, led by big-money quarterback Kirk Cousins, continued to fall short of the big expectations. Zimmer openly criticized the play calling on more than one occasion.
Stefanski is the longest-tenured coach on the Vikings staff, with 13 seasons. He was blocked by Zimmer from leaving the team after last season when Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur was named coach of the New York Giants and wanted to take Stefanski with him as OC.
Stefanski will be the fourth different OC for the Vikings since 2016; Shurmur replaced Norv Turner, who resigned midway through the 2016 season and holds the same position with the Carolina Panthers.
DeFilippo was in his first season with the Vikings, having made the jump from Philadelphia in the offseason.
