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The team really needs a win this week. That is all!
We are really going to need our QB to carry us even more going forward. The OL has to step it up to because the team is likely to lean more on the run game.
Since yore last open thread ...
2023 NFL Week 6: Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears
Starter pullover jackets are coming from Homage, and you can win one!
Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears: Initial injury reports for both teams
Vikings bringing back old friends, including Sean Mannion
Vikings officially place Justin Jefferson (and Nick Mullens) on IR
Vikings Stock Market Report: Week 5
Other Vikings News
Vikings QB Kirk Cousins not thinking about trade talk: ‘Not worth my time and energy’
“You know, I’m just very focused on the Bears and going 1-0 this week,” Cousins said on Wednesday when asked about potentially waiving his no-trade clause. “Anything else is just not worth my time or energy or attention.”
“You know, ignorance is bliss and I’m just really ignorant,” Cousins said. “I don’t really have access to a whole lot and I try to do that by design, so it’s pretty intentional. Aside from high school friends who may text me what they’re reading and I’ll text them back — and I prefer to remain ignorant, you know, so I’d appreciate not getting texts.
“Aside from that, I really don’t know what’s going on. I’ve been insulated at time to the point of being naive and a little stupid, but I’d rather err on that side than consuming everything and just having to … again, it just takes your focus away from what is important and what will help you play well, so that’s kinda how I wanted to do it.”
Kirk Cousins’ last stand as quarterback of the Vikings
Regardless of whether he is paying attention to fake trade proposals that have him headed to the Jets or not, the Vikings’ veteran quarterback is aware that his team is 1-4 and one more loss will turn a difficult climb to the postseason into Mount Everest.
Whether a trade is realistic or not, the chances of Cousins playing in Minnesota after this season get lower and lower with each loss and the discussion about the team’s shortcomings in terms of postseason success during his era as Vikings quarterback gets louder. The tally if they do not make the playoffs this year will be one postseason win in six years. Regardless of how much blame belongs on whose shoulders — and there is plenty to go around — the bar was set much higher when they signed Cousins in 2018 than two postseason appearances.
“There’s still a lot in front of us — a lot of football,” Cousins said. “There’s so much to play for, and that’s really what we know to be true and why there’s all the more urgency going into this week.”
Kevin O’Connell : Vikings have ‘plenty’ of playmakers even without Justin Jefferson
“The fact of the matter is we have to change the way we game-plan when we do have Justin available just because of the way the breakdowns work, and you think you’re going to get all these coverages that have shown up, and then we show up to the game and we get kind of a J.J. program consistently,” O’Connell told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Tuesday. “Something that we’ve had to really grow these last 25-plus games, whatever it’s been, and really dive into it from a standpoint of anticipating how he might be taken away and how that affects everybody else and where we require Jordan ( Addison) or K.J. ( Osborn) or T.J. Hockenson or Josh ( Oliver) to go win in the pass game versus premier looks when so much coverage is dedicated to Justin.”
“So now we gotta, knowing we might not have him for a stretch here, we’ve got to change the way we look at it and we’ve got to get back to making sure that we have sound plays versus the looks we think we’re going to get,” O’Connell said on Tuesday. “Give our guys, our playmakers, which we feel like we have plenty even losing the best receiver in football, we still are really excited about Jordan Addison . K.J. Osborn ‘s been ultra consistent, T.J. Hockenson, there’s a reason why he’s here, and we’ll continue to build things on all downs to keep him involved, and then how does C.J. Ham or Josh Oliver, Johnny Mundt or Brandon Powell , how do those guys fit in in their complementary roles, where they can really, really see some premier opportunities.”
The Vikings’ season is over unless they can beat up on the Packers and the Bears throughout the rest of the season. They might as well start loading up for the next era of the franchise. They have a bright young head coach in Kevin O’Connell, arguably the best wide receiver in football and a couple other spots to build around. How much they decide to ship off will be interesting.
A rookie quarterback walking into an offense with O’Connell, Jefferson and Jordan Addison is a nice place to be in. Think about it, Vikings. This season is big over.
4 trades Vikings can make to embrace the tank for Caleb Williams
Vikings could trade Kirk Cousins to the Falcons
Minnesota Vikings
RECEIVE: 2024 Third-Round Pick; 2025 Fourth-Round Pick
Atlanta Falcons
RECEIVE: Kirk Cousins; 2024 Sixth-Round Pick; 2025 Sixth-Round Pick
...
Vikings could trade T.J. Hockenson to the Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings
RECEIVE: 2025 Second-Round Pick; 2025 Third-Round Pick
Miami Dolphins
RECEIVE: T.J. Hockenson; 2025 Fourth-Round Pick (Browns); 2025 Fifth-Round Pick
...
Vikings could trade Danielle Hunter to the Chiefs
Minnesota Vikings
RECEIVE: 2024 Second-Round Pick; 2024 Third-Round Pick
Kansas City Chiefs
RECEIVE: Danielle Hunter; 2024 Fourth-Round Pick (Lions); 2024 Fifth-Round Pick (Chiefs)
...
Vikings could trade Justin Jefferson to Ravens
Minnesota Vikings
RECEIVE: 2024 First-Round Pick; 2025 Second-Round Pick; 2025 Fourth-Round Pick
Baltimore Ravens
RECEIVE: Justin Jefferson; 2025 Fifth-Round Pick
Clearly this person has a vivid imagination.
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