The Minnesota Vikings don't need Kirk Cousins to suddenly become one of the NFL's best quarterbacks to make a serious Super Bowl run. They just need him to give their defense a little help for once.
Minnesota traded a 2027 third-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders for Cousins on Tuesday, bringing the veteran quarterback back to a team sitting at 6-2 despite some pretty ugly offensive performances.
The Vikings' frustrating loss to the Bills was the latest example. Carson Wentz threw for 81 yards and two interceptions in a 23-6 defeat. Brian Flores' defense kept fighting, but there's only so much that group can do when the offense can't stay on the field.
Minnesota Vikings have a defense that can win with Kirk Cousins
Flores has turned Minnesota's defense into one of the nastiest units in football. Through eight games, the Vikings have allowed just 116 points. That's 14.5 per game, which is ridiculous considering how little help they've gotten on offense.
Against Buffalo, Minnesota picked off Josh Allen, sacked him four times, and held James Cook to 3.5 yards per carry. That's the kind of defensive performance that should win football games.
Instead, the Vikings scored six points -- all field goals.
Minnesota has averaged only 17.4 offensive points per game.
Imagine this team scoring around 24 points every game. That's nearly seven more points per game without turning the offense into some unstoppable machine.
With this defense, that might be enough to make Minnesota a legitimate NFC threat.
Cousins already knows Kevin O'Connell's offense. He knows how to get the ball out on time, work through progressions, and give Justin Jefferson chances to make plays.
Nobody needs vintage Cousins throwing for 350 yards every week. Give Minnesota a couple of sustained drives, fewer turnovers, and some actual red-zone production, and things start looking pretty interesting.
Cousins can't fix everything that's wrong with the Vikings offense
Cousins isn't walking into a perfect situation, though.
O'Connell still needs to find a way to establish balance. Against Buffalo, Jordan Mason averaged 5.8 yards per carry, yet Minnesota finished with just 11 rushing attempts.
That's not going to work with a 38-year-old quarterback who isn't exactly known for escaping pressure.
The offensive line also has to hold up. Cousins can diagnose coverage and deliver accurate throws, but he won't consistently rescue broken plays with his legs.
And let's not pretend he's immune to mistakes. His three-interception outing against San Francisco just last week reminded us of that.
The NFC North isn't getting any easier, either. Chicago is 7-2, Detroit is 6-2, and Green Bay is 6-3. NFC West's 49ers sit at 7-1.
Minnesota still has games against all four teams on its remaining regular-season schedule.
Sunday's trip to Lambeau Field is especially important. Cousins won't have much time to get reacquainted with O'Connell's offense before facing Green Bay, and the Packers know his tendencies better than most opponents.
Minnesota already scored 39 points against Green Bay in Week 1. If O'Connell can get Cousins operating efficiently enough to move the chains and finish drives, the Vikings have a chance to make the NFC North race a whole lot more interesting.
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