Will they cheer? Will they jeer? Will they react at all? How will fans handle the imminent return of the prodigal dork?
It’s Week 14 in the NFL, and the much-anticipated return of Kirk Cousins to Minnesota is happening!
However, it’s not happening in the way many would have expected. Yes, one of these teams is closing in on a playoff spot…but not the one you might have expected.
Yes, one might be close to turning over the reins at quarterback to their first-round pick from this spring…but not the one you might have expected.
Either way, it should be a heck of a ride on Sunday and we’ve enlisted Daily Norseman staffers Christopher Gates, Natalie Miller (hello welcome!) and Sam Buegler as experts this week to answer all your burning questions:
Q1: What is your takeaway from the Thursday night game?
Christopher Gates: “The takeaway from the Thursday night game, at least for me, is that the Lions aren’t invincible. The first game between these two teams was decided by two points, and even though the Lions have had some huge blowout wins against bad teams since then, they’ve also had to do a lot of squeaking by teams, including the Bears and Packers these past couple of weeks.
“If the Vikings can continue to stay relatively healthy over the next few weeks, there’s a good chance that the Week 18 game in Detroit is actually going to have some meaning. The Lions can be hand, particularly with all of the issues that they’re having on the defensive side with injuries. Plus, eventually, one of these decisions in a big situation has to backfire on Dan Campbell, right?”
Natalie Miller: “The Vikings play in an elite division. The Lions are very clearly the top team in the league right now, and to have the Packers go toe to toe with them after their own impressive stretch of games definitely means Minnesota has their work cut out for them.”
Sam Buegler: “The Lions are not unstoppable. After our game, we knew it was possible, but there were a ton of chances for the Packers to come back in that game. We just need to be able to exploit those opportunities better than they did. Campbell going for it on his own 30 just shows that he has the ability to give away football games by having that aggressive mentality, so if we go in there with a similar one; focus on being physical and aggressive, we can come out with a victory.
“We also will have to watch out for injuries, and make sure that we come out of it healthy before the playoffs. Some of the hits from the Lions were scary, so ensuring that we don’t lose any key pieces is important.”
Q2: The people who will boo Kirk Cousins are crazy, right? Right?!?
CG: “During the game, obviously not. When the game itself is taking place, the fans should boo the hell out of anyone wearing an Atlanta uniform, Kirk Cousins included. But booing him during the pregame or when he’s introduced or whatever seems a bit uncalled for. Cousins was here for six seasons, played his ass off every year, and from all reports was a solid member of the community.
“I think a lot of people want to put the blame for all of the Vikings’ shortcomings during the Cousins era at his feet, but there’s plenty of blame to go around otherwise. Honestly, people are going to boo regardless, but it would be nice if they had a solid understanding of why they’re booing.”
NM: “Duh. Please don’t do it. Kirk brought stable play to the team for the first time since 2010 and left a lasting impact on the community. It’s not like the team did everything in it’s power to retain him and then he walked out of spite. Boo the Falcons, not Kirko.”
SB: “I think they are. I’d want to cheer for him when he comes out, and then beat the snot out of him on the football field! He was a leader in this organization for a long time, so I don’t think you should boo him but we just need to make him regret his decision to leave instead.”
Q3: What do you need to see against the Falcons to feel good about the Vikings heading into the home stretch/playoffs?
CG: “A win by more than one score sure would be nice, at least for the cardiac health of Vikings fans everywhere. The Falcons are on a three-game winning streak and the Falcons set up as a team that they should do well against. Cousins has thrown 104 passes in his last three games, and none of those have been touchdown passes. He’s also thrown six interceptions, including four against the Chargers last week. He doesn’t move well, so if the Vikings can contain Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier on the ground and make the Falcons one-dimensional, they should be able to tee off a bit.
“But, since the Vikings have sort of stopped blowing people out after the first few weeks of this season, maybe asking for a multiple-score win is a bit much.”
NM: “The last few games teams have really been able to expose the Atlanta passing game and take advantage of the lack of explosiveness from their quarterback (sorry Kirk), I would like to see Minnesota really just open up a big lead and pin their ears back on this one.
“The real question on Minnesota of course has to be Sam Darnold, can he elevate this team to beat elite teams? We won’t find out this week, but more great performances from him can only boost his and fans confidence.”
SB: “We need to see the offense get off to a hot start. They need to be able to score early and quickly to build up momentum, being able to build a lead will be crucial in the playoffs. The defense also needs to continue to shut down the run. Looking at NFC teams who are probably bound for a deep run in the playoffs right now – Lions, Eagles, and Packers – they all thrive on being able to run the rock down your throat and burn away clock. Making sure we can contain that is needed if we want to make a deep run of our own.”
Q4: What’s your final score prediction for Sunday, and why?
CG: “I think the Vikings will win this one by enough to cover the point spread, which has the Vikings as a 4.5-point favorite. I just don’t think the Falcons’ offense is going to be able to get much going on Sunday. They’ve averaged 12 points/game during this three-game losing streak they’re on, and Cousins has been pretty bad this year against teams not named the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (he has 8 TD and 1 INT in two games against Tampa and 9 TD and 12 INT in ten games against everyone else).
“I do hope the crowd will be significantly more amped up this week than they were against Arizona last week, and if they are that will hinder the Falcons as well. Overall I think the Vikings get the victory here, but I don’t know if they’ll win by as much as we’d like to see them win by.”
NM: “As much as we love Kirk Cousins, I really don’t think this game is going to be all that close. Atlanta hasn’t scored over 20 in over a month and Minnesota is a quality team. I think ultimately we see a 31-17 score.”
SB: “I’m saying 31-21 Vikings on top. Vikings take an early lead, but the Falcons never really go away, until a late-game TD drive from Darnold and company seals this one. Hoping for an interception from Harrison Smith to end it. I wouldn’t bank on that obviously, but it would bring me joy.”
