Offensive MVP – Honorable Mentions
The offense of the Minnesota Vikings didn’t make a lot of mistakes, but the plan by the coaching staff seemed to be to have an efficient offense established by running the ball well to set up play-action and rollout passes.
New Orleans has a solid overall defense. Their pass rush can show up at great times and coverage skills are typically solid. However, the Vikings offensive line stepped up in a big way and allowed only two sacks on Kirk Cousins.
Here are the offensive standouts from this game who weren’t quite the MVP from Wild Card Weekend against the Saints:
- Adam Thielen, wide receiver – The beginning of the game wasn’t pretty for Thielen. If not for an early fumble and catch he couldn’t haul in, his seven-catch, 129-yard game would have easily put him in contention for offensive MVP. His ability to bounce back and make big plays, especially in overtime, is a reminder of how great he really is.
- Kirk Cousins, quarterback – Like Thielen, Cousins got a slow start to the game. His passes were a bit off the mark and the jitters were apparent. As the game progressed, he settled into his game and by the time and started making crisp accurate passes. He ended the game with 19 completions on 31 pass attempts for 242 and a score.
- Brian O’Neill, offensive tackle – If not for a holding penalty that set the Vikings back, this was as close to a flawless game as it could have been for O’Neill. The right tackle was not only a powerhouse in the run game but he held up well against the Saints pass rush to Cousins time in the pocket.
- Kyle Rudolph, tight end – Saints fans will still be clamoring for an offensive pass interference penalty, but Rudolph’s game-sealing touchdown grab will go down as a walk-off score. He also fought for yardage after the catch, making a few defenders miss him in the process.