4 keys to victory for the Vikings against the Titans in Week 3
By Dean Jones
Get more wide receivers involved
Kirk Cousins has endured a torrid time over the last two weeks. The quarterback hasn’t built on the momentum generated during the 2019 season and if things carry on as they are, it is going to make the Minnesota Vikings’ decision to give him a contract extension this offseason a major error in judgment.
Not having Stefon Diggs on the outside has been felt. The Vikings had the right reasons to trade the player given his potential to become a significant disruption in the locker room. But there is no denying what the wide receiver brings to the table from a production perspective.
Cousins has been guilty of looking for Pro Bowler Adam Thielen maybe too much. There is no denying that the wideout is Minnesota’s most dependable presence in the passing game, but the longer others remain an afterthought, the more difficult it will be to move the chains.
The likes of Bisi Johnson and Justin Jefferson need to get their fair share of targets to take some of the attention off Thielen, at the very least. He is being double-teamed on almost every down and if Cousins can gain additional yardage from elsewhere, it should free-up some more room for their No. 1 option to do damage.
Minnesota also needs more from the tight end duo of Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith Jr. Big things were expected of the tandem going into the campaign, but to say they haven’t reached these heights as yet would be a huge understatement.