Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison (3) celebrates a first down reception against Green Bay Packers safety Rudy Ford (20) and cornerback Keisean Nixon (25) during their football game Sunday, October 29, 2023, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin.
From a suggestion by a reader, we continue our “snap reactions” weekly piece this season detailing thoughts and analysis after a Minnesota Vikings game.
This will be off-the-cuff, a wee bit “random,” and hopefully insightful.
The Vikings won 24-10 in Week 8 at the Green Bay Packers, continuing Minnesota’s recent winning streak and getting off to a positive start during the post-Aaron Rodgers era.
1 – The purple world stands still after the Vikings knocked off the Packers, awaiting word of Kirk Cousins’ injury. Most social media speculated an Achilles injury, which would probably be a fatal blow to Minnesota’s suddenly exciting season. The Cousins injury created the least satisfying win for Vikings fans in the state of Wisconsin — perhaps ever.
2 – The Vikings thoroughly dominated the Time of Possession battle, possessing the rock for over 36 minutes. The team seems to have corrected the ToP woes, and it helped that the Packers are so bad.
3 – Green Bay basically looked like any Chicago Bears team from the last few years, silly and inefficient, especially on offense.
4 – Greg Joseph wasn’t used much to start the season, mainly because the Vikings turned the ball over so frequently, but he’s come across a poor couple of games. Vikings fans can be back to kicker anxiety (not like it really left in the first place).
5 – Minnesota’s special teams didn’t perform well — two missed field goals, a kickoff out of bounds, and a holding call on Ty Chandler’s would-be mammoth return — and need repair.
6 – K.J. Osborn was clutch while the game was still in a pivotal stage. The man is a textbook WR3 and should be applauded for his productivity in that role.
7 – The Vikings offensive line has strung together two fantastic games, and the club is winning accordingly. The cosmos are criminal for allowing a Cousins injury at the exact time the offensive line jells via pass protection for the first time in a decade.
8 – No matter the quarterback, the Justin Jefferson + Jordan Addison duo will be lethal for the next four-plus years as Addison continues to shine. Addison fired up 7 receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown — just another day at the office for the 1st-Rounder.
9 – Minnesota’s defense — again — played tremendously, and with Cousins’ prognosis unknown, Brian Flores’ group may have to become the team’s anchor. Saying that out loud after Week 3 would’ve sounded looney.
10 – The offensive fluidity for the Vikings and 3rd Down success, pioneered by Cousins, are the reasons the last two games have felt so great. The franchise has avoided 3-and-Out ruts, and Cousins has been masterful on 3rd Down.
11 – The Vikings next several games are “easy” compared to their first-8-games platter: at Atlanta, vs. New Orleans, at Denver, vs. Chicago, at Las Vegas. Now is the time to stack wins, even if Cousins is injured.
12 – Nobody knows at the time of this article’s publication if Cousins will be lost for the season, but if so, the Vikings front office owes it to itself to at least call Tom Brady.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.