Cousins, Vikings open the 2018 season with an impressive win

The Minnesota Vikings and their new quarterback kicked off their 2018 season with a big win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

For the first time ever, fans of the Minnesota Vikings got to see new quarterback Kirk Cousins play in an actual, meaningful matchup on Sunday. After one game, Vikings fans should be pretty happy with their team’s decision to sign Cousins this offseason.

Minnesota and their new quarterback got the job done on Sunday as they came out of Week 1 with a 24-16 win over the San Francisco 49ers.

Cousins completed 20 of 36 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns. The veteran signal caller also ran for another 26 yards in his regular season debut for the Vikings.

Minnesota Vikings

Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs picked up right where they left off last year for Minnesota on Sunday. The Vikings’ receiving duo hauled in a combined nine catches for 145 yards and one touchdown.

In his first regular season game since Week 4 of last year, Minnesota running back Dalvin Cook looked a little rusty. Cook had a few glimpses of of big-play potential and finished Sunday with a total of 95 yards on 22 touches and one forgettable fumble.

The Vikings’ defense put pressure on 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo all day long. Minnesota sacked Garoppolo three times and racked up an additional nine hits on the San Francisco quarterback.

The pressure brought by the Vikings’ defense played a big part in Garoppolo throwing three interceptions on Sunday, including one pick that Minnesota rookie cornerback Mike Hughes took the other way for a 28-yard touchdown.

Safety Harrison Smith was the clear top performer for the Vikings defense this week. Smith led all Minnesota defenders with eight tackles while also pitching in a sack and the game-sealing interception in the fourth quarter.

The Vikings made the matchup a little more interesting than they would’ve probably liked on Sunday, but they came away with a win and that’s what matters most.

Minnesota will look to remain unbeaten next week when they head out on the road to take on Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.