Most Minnesota Vikings fans were probably just hoping for the team's offense to just look competent against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday in Kirk Cousins' first start at quarterback since he was acquired last Tuesday in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Well, the Vikings' offense and Cousins likely surpassed their expectations on Sunday, as they handed the Packers a 30-10 loss in front of a disappointed home crowd inside Lambeau Field.
With the win, Minnesota improved its 2026 record to 7-2, and their season appears to be back on track now that they have a quarterback who can actually complete passes to star wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
We'll have more detailed analysis about the victory in the next 24 hours, but for now, let's go over some of the initial takeaways from the Vikings' commanding win over Green Bay on Sunday.
Immediate reactions to the Vikings' impressive road win over the Packers
Kirk Cousins looked like he never left
Pick whatever cliché you want, but Cousins' return to Minnesota's offense on Sunday felt just like riding an old bike after almost three years.
He didn't finish with massive numbers, but he made the plays that no Vikings quarterback had been able to do all season.
Cousins ended up throwing for 207 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception on Sunday, but most importantly, he and Jefferson connected nine times for 74 yards.
With the insane level that Minnesota's defense has been playing at this year, they've never needed the quarterback to put the team on his back. They've just needed someone to help the offense run efficiently and come up with first downs a few times a game, which is exactly what Cousins did on Sunday.
Minnesota's pass rush looked unstoppable (again)
Even without Blake Cashman out on the field this weekend, the Vikings' defense didn't miss a beat on Sunday as they turned the game into a 60-minute nightmare for Packers quarterback Jordan Love.
Led by their interior defensive line duo of Jalen Redmond and Levi Drake Rodriguez, who both finished with five pressures, Minnesota pressured Love 29 times and accumulated a whopping eight sacks during the win in Green Bay.
Rodriguez led the Vikings' defense with a pair of sacks, while the other six sacks were spread between Redmond, Dallas Turner, Andrew Van Ginkel, Eric Wilson, Elijah Williams, and Kyle Van Noy.
No. 1 seed could be on the line next week for Vikings
Less than a week ago, Minnesota fans were down in the dumps after an abysmal performance on "Monday Night Football" against the Buffalo Bills. Fast forward to Sunday, and the win over the Packers has Vikings fans back to having championship dreams for this season's team.
A primetime matchup in Mexico City, Mexico, against the San Francisco 49ers next week was already going to be a huge matchup for Minnesota. But after the Vikings' victory in Green Bay, the result of next weekend's contest with the 49ers could potentially be the tiebreaker to decide who enters this season's playoffs as the NFC's No. 1 seed.
Minnesota hasn't been the No. 1 seed in the NFC since 1998, but a win next Sunday would be a huge help in getting that to happen this season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google