NFL power rankings Week 3: Titans fall back to earth after loss to Colts
13. Minnesota Vikings (1-1)
If not for a sensational effort from Dalvin Cook in Week 2, the Minnesota Vikings might have had no shot against the Green Bay Packers. Even with that effort, the Vikings ended up losing anyway.
Kirk Cousins turned in a forgettable performance after tossing two picks and completing less than 50 percent of his passes. Cousins certainly didn’t look like the quarterback the Vikings hoped they were getting when they gave him $84 million guaranteed prior to the 2018 season.
Despite all that and the Vikings being down 21-7 at one point in the second quarter, the defense was able to do enough to keep Minnesota in this game by keeping Aaron Rodgers in check in the second half.
After scoring that third quarter touchdown to bring themselves to within five points, the Vikings’ next five drives went for three punts, one interception, and one lost fumble. As a result, the Packers were able to hang on for the win despite doing nothing in the second half.
The Vikings can’t continue to get these kinds of performances from Cousins if they hope to reach new heights in 2019. Cousins will have a solid chance to get his act together with a Week 3 game against the Oakland Raiders coming up.