3 Vikings scapegoats from their Week 1 loss to the Bucs
By Clay Vasquez
The Minnesota Vikings kicked off their season hosting Tampa Bay. After their tough loss to the Buccaneers, who is receiving more blame than they should?
The Minnesota Vikings started out their 2023 season with a tough loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this past Sunday.
It was a winnable game for Minnesota, but unlike last season, they couldn’t pull out the last-second victory. It was only game No. 1 in a long season, so there is still time for the Vikings to get things back on track.
Nobody for Minnesota played particularly great outside of star wide receiver Justin Jefferson. It was a sloppy loss on both sides of the ball, but which members of the Vikings are receiving more blame than they deserve for the team's loss in the opening week of the 2023 NFL season?
Viking No. 1
Kirk Cousins - QB
Kirk Cousins did not have his best game against Tampa on Sunday, but he is getting more blame than he deserves. In the stat book, Cousins accounted for three turnovers. The tape tells a different story though.
Cousins had two fumbles on Sunday, but the blame for them was difficult to place solely on his shoulders. The first fumble was caused by second-year right guard Ed Ingram inexplicably swiping the quarterback’s arm right after the snap, causing the ball to jar loose and be recovered by the Bucs' defense.
Cousins' next fumble was caused when Tampa Bay safety Antoine Winfield Jr. blasted Cousins on a blitz after the Minnesota offensive line left him unblocked. Cousins might have taken two steps before Winfield demolished him while the quarterback was looking in the other direction, giving him no chance before the play even began.
Cousins' red zone interception was bad, that is for sure. But the other two turnovers that are accredited to him were hardly his doing.
There’s no denying that Cousins and the entire Vikings offense needs to be better in their next game against the Philadelphia Eagles. So let’s hope that Minnesota's offense doesn’t have another three-turnover performance in Week 2.