EDEN PRAIRIE  — With a big, white patch over his right eye and instructions from his doctor not to yell too loudly for fear of further damaging the surgically repaired retina, Mike Zimmer returned to the sideline for the Minnesota Vikings to lead them to a much-needed victory over Jacksonville.

Whether Zimmer’s decision to come back after missing the previous game against Dallas was in the best interest of his long-term health or not, the grizzled coach sent an unmistakable message to the players he asks to play through pain for him.

“I’m not missing any more games the rest of my life,” Zimmer vowed after a 25-16 victory over the Jaguars stunted a freefall of six losses in the previous seven games.

The Vikings (7-6) entered December figuring they needed to win the final four games of the season to keep their playoff hopes alive, a startling position after being the last undefeated team in the league during a 5-0 start.

They’ve suffered a litany of injuries this season, including to their head coach, who has had four eye surgeries to address a problem that has bothered him for months.

After emergency surgery caused him to miss a loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 1, doctors cleared Zimmer to fly with the team to Jacksonville.

He initially was not sure if he would coach from the sideline or a box above the field to protect him, but he ended up on the field with his players, which is where he wanted to be all along.

The sight of their leader gutting through a serious eye issue to stay in the fight emboldened the Vikings.