What’s old is new again for the Minnesota Vikings.
asserted
’s → ’ → Vikings
After another week of uninspiring quarterback play, the Vikings acquired Kirk Cousins from the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday, reuniting Cousins with the team he played for from 2018 through 2023.
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he → acquire → 2023
Minnesota is 6-2 this season, with a defense that’s playing at a championship level.
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that → play → level
But the Vikings’ offense has lagged far behind, and now Minnesota is turning to Cousins, the same quarterback the team spent the last two-plus seasons trying to upgrade from.
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team → lag → seasons
While they’ve struggled all season, the Vikings’ offense sunk to its nadir on Monday, when backup quarterback Carson Wentz had a miserable performance in a 23-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
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Wentz → struggle → Bills
Wentz completed only eight of 25 passes for paltry 81 yards and two interceptions in the loss.
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Wentz → complete → loss
Even the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans, both 1-7, have scored more touchdowns than the Vikings.
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Dolphins → score → Vikings
Minnesota’s offense is second-to-last in expected points added per play, per RBSDM, an advanced analytics website.
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offense → expect → RBSDM
Kyler Murray, the former No. 1 overall pick signed to solve the team’s quarterback woes, has been middling at best.
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Murray → sign → woes
His 88.6 passer rating is on par with his five starts last season for the Arizona Cardinals, who effectively benched Murray for journeyman Jacoby Brissett.
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who → bench → Brissett
To make matters worse, former Minnesota quarterbacks have looked better elsewhere.
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quarterbacks → make → ?
Sam Darnold famously led the Vikings to a 14-3 record in 2024, but after he struggled down the stretch and played poorly in the playoffs, the team let him leave as a free agent.
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him → lead → agent
Darnold led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl win last season, and though his play hasn’t been great this year, he has more passing touchdowns in six-plus games than Minnesota does in eight.
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Minnesota → lead → eight
Meanwhile, J.J. McCarthy, whom the Vikings selected in the first round in 2024 and then made the starter in 2025 before trading him this season, has also played well in limited action.
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Vikings → select → action
In four games with the New York Giants, McCarthy has a higher passer rating (91.7) and QBR (50.0) than Murray.
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McCarthy → have → Murray
And then there’s Cousins, who first signed with Minnesota as a free agent in 2018.
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who → ’ → 2018
He started 88 games for the Vikings, posting a 50-37-1 record.
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He → start → record
Cousins’ time in Minnesota was his most successful on an individual level, as he threw for 171 touchdowns and 55 interceptions with a 101.2 passer rating, but he won only one playoff game in his six seasons.
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he → throw → seasons
Cousins led the Vikings to a 14-3 record in 2022, then tore his Achilles after eight starts the following season, and Minnesota parted ways with him as it sought an upgrade.
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it → lead → upgrade
But between free agency (Darnold), the draft (McCarthy) and rehabilitation projects (Murray), the Vikings have failed to find an answer.
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Vikings → fail → answer
This season, Cousins performed admirably for the Raiders, keeping the starting seat warm for No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza.
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Cousins → perform → pick
In nine starts, Cousins has thrown for 2,340 yards, 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
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Cousins → throw → yards
The Vikings play in the loaded NFC North, which would have all four teams reach the playoffs if the season ended today.
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season → play → playoffs
The other offenses in the division — the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears — are all ranked in the top 12 in EPA per play.
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offenses → rank → play
On the other hand, Minnesota’s defense is ranked first in EPA per play.
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defense → rank → play
If Cousins can merely maintain the same level of performance he did in Las Vegas, then the Vikings may have made the most consequential move of the trade deadline — and perhaps even tilted Super Bowl odds in their favor.
uncertain
Vikings → maintain → favor
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