High No. 1
Trust in Jefferson
This should be the paramount takeaway by any Vikings enthusiast from the Titans game. Before Week 3, Kirk Cousins channeled extreme tunnel vision for wideout Adam Thielen. When this works, it’s applauded (see Michael Thomas and Drew Brees). But when the pattern results in losing football games, the connection is panned as forced and predictable.
Minnesota was indeed losing games, and the Cousins-to-Thielen duo was temporarily stale. Mike Zimmer and his staff must have coached Cousins out of this tendency because the Vikings signal-caller snapped out of it in one week.
Newcomer Justin Jefferson was targeted nine times against Tennessee, and it was a profitable strategy. The rookie hauled in seven catches for 175 yards and a touchdown. The breakout jamboree by the young man felt very Randy Moss-esque.
Cousins even got Thielen involved. The 30-year-old Minnesota State alumnus caught a touchdown of his own. The Vikings still fell short, but the offense seems to be back on track.