3 Storylines for Chiefs-Vikings
Josh Frey
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The Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings are set to square off in Week 5 of the NFL season inside U.S. Bank Stadium.
The Vikings finally notched their first win of the season in Week 4 against the Carolina Panthers while the Chiefs have won three consecutive games coming into this matchup after their Week 1 loss to the Detroit Lions.
Heading into this matchup, here are three storylines to keep an eye on.
Patrick Mahomes vs. Kirk Cousins for the First Time
For the first time ever, we are going to see a Kirk Cousins vs. Patrick Mahomes matchup at the QB position. In fact, this is the first time that Mahomes has played against the Vikings since joining the Chiefs in 2017.
Mahomes could have played against the Vikings in 2019, but he missed that game because of an injury. Instead, Matt Moore would step in and lead Kansas City to a victory. After a loss to Tennessee the following week, Mahomes would lead the Chiefs to nine straight victories on their way to a Super Bowl victory.
Cousins’ Losing Streak vs. Chiefs
Coming into Sunday, Kirk Cousins has taken the field three times against the Kansas City Chiefs. He has lost all three of them.
The first of Cousins’ losses against Kansas City isn’t particularly on him. It came on December 8th, 2013, and he didn’t even start that game. Instead, Robert Griffin III got the nod, but with Washington trailing big late in the game, Cousins got onto the field to end the game. He completed 7-of-16 passes for 59 yards in the 45-10 loss.
Cousins would get a chance at redemption four years later when the Chiefs played host to Washington in 2017. Instead, he struggled during the game, completing just 14 of his 24 passes for 220 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and the Chiefs would win 29-20.
Then, Cousins got his first chance to play the Chiefs as a member of the Vikings in 2019. Unfortunately, this game ended similarly to the 2017 game while he was still in Washington. The QB completed 19-of-38 passes and again totaled 220 yards but threw for 3 TDs. Kansas City would win on a last-second field goal from Harrison Butker, 26-23.
Vikings Offensive Line: Who’s In, Who’s Out?
The Minnesota Vikings have plenty of question marks as to who will be playing on the offensive line just hours before this game. Garrett Bradbury finally was a full participant in practice this week for the first time since suffering his Week 1 back injury against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Meanwhile, Dalton Risner has been on the bench for each of the two games since he was signed in free agency. This seems like a perfect matchup for him to get his feet wet on Minnesota’s o-line considering he played against the Chiefs twice per year during his four seasons in Denver.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.
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