The Minnesota Vikings broke out a familiar script during Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions. After a sluggish start, the Vikings looked like they were heading for disaster until Kirk Cousins took over.
Minnesota’s franchise quarterback brushed aside the check-downs momentarily and started throwing it up to Justin Jefferson. The sudden aggressiveness led the Vikings back from a 20-6 deficit. After his touchdown pass with 1:50 to go, it looked like Cousins was going to be the hero.
But then the Vikings lost. And it was Cousins’ fault. It was also Mike Zimmer’s fault. And Klint Kubiak’s fault. Even Rick Spielman was at fault.
What the Vikings experienced on Sunday wasn’t the fault of one particular person. It culminated in a series of events that led to defeat against a Lions team that tried to hand Minnesota the game. The loss could also lead to the changes this franchise has resisted since getting blasted 38-7 in the 2017 NFC Championship game.
It started with Cousins’ performance on Sunday. He had the box score you would expect from a $35 million man when the game ended. Cousins completed 30 of 40 passes for 340 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His PFF grade was the third-highest among qualifying quarterbacks in Week 13, and he owned a 116.7 passer rating.
On stats alone, Cousins is a Hall of Fame-worthy quarterback. But the way he plays suggests that instead of a giant bronze bust, it should be Cousins’ Football-Reference page that’s preserved for posterity.
With the Vikings falling into a hole they couldn’t climb out of, Cousins had the awareness to target Jefferson two times before the final two-minute drive. But instead of targeting his top weapon when he encountered several long-yardage situations, Cousins decided to play it safe.
Cousins converted only once on a 21-yard gain to K.J. Osborn in the third quarter in situations where the Vikings needed more than ten yards for a first down. Other than that, it was like the greatest hits of what has plagued Cousins throughout his time in Minnesota.
Dede Westbrook and Kene Nwangwu had a pair of targets on 3rd and 10 or more yards, while Jefferson had the same amount of targets (one) as Osborn and Tyler Conklin in those situations.
Even more maddening was the dink-and-dunk style that put the Vikings in their big hole. In the first half, Cousins threw a short pass to Nwangwu on 2nd and 13 and a checkdown to Osborn on the following play. He also threw a six-yard screen to Nwangwu on 3rd and 14 right before halftime.
The fun didn’t stop in the second half when Cousins threw three consecutive short passes after encountering a 1st and 20 in the third quarter. He put a bow on his performance with checkdowns to Alexander Mattison (2nd and 15), Nwangwu (2nd and 20), and Conklin (3rd and 22) as the Vikings were looking for the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter.
Overall, Cousins went 5 for 8 on third-and-long for 39 yards and a touchdown. But only three of his attempts went past the sticks. His conservative play caused the Vikings’ offense to sputter. It also put the Lions in a position to win the game at the end.
But Cousins wasn’t the only scapegoat.
Zimmer’s issues began before the opening kickoff when the Vikings tried to fill in for the injured Christian Darrisaw. Instead of putting Rashod Hill back into the lineup, the Vikings decided to shuffle three spots along the offensive line.
Oli Udoh, who has struggled at right guard, was thrown in a more difficult position at left tackle. To the surprise of no one, Udoh allowed four pressures and accounted for two penalties. The move also affected Ezra Cleveland, who allowed a team-high five pressures playing next to Udoh.
Garrett Bradbury and Mason Cole held their own at center and right guard, respectively, but the shakeup forced the Vikings to adapt to another offensive line combination. With a quarterback that needs elite talent around him to thrive, Zimmer had basically sabotaged his offense for the first 30 minutes.
Things got worse in the final two minutes of a half when the Vikings allowed a pair of field goals before halftime. Those points brought Minnesota’s season total to 69 in the final two minutes of the first half. It also gave way to another glaring deficiency.
Zimmer is a conservative coach by nature, which affects his decision-making when he tries to be aggressive. After a Mattison touchdown made it a 20-15 game, Zimmer decided to go for two points by running it up the middle. The failed conversion left the Vikings chasing those points the rest of the afternoon. With two more plodding runs, Minnesota turned a potential seven-point lead into a four-point advantage in the final minutes of the game.
Dan Campbell gave Zimmer the game on a platter by deciding to go for it on 4th and 1 from his own 28, but the Vikings scored immediately to give the Lions a chance to win the game.
A noted defensive guru like Zimmer probably believed his defense could make the game-winning stop. But he admitted his team didn’t do well in coverage after the game. That led Zimmer to play back on Jared Goff, who owns a 59.4 quarterback rating when under pressure this season, per Pro Football Focus.
That decision stems from the fact Zimmer doesn’t trust anyone outside of his core players. Therefore, the blame shifts to someone who wasn’t even on the field.
Spielman has constructed this roster by trying to re-create the philosophy that led to the 2015 draft class. He has fixated on finding the next Eric Kendricks, Danielle Hunter, or Stefon Diggs in the later rounds in the draft. But those were part of a generational draft class that may never be duplicated again.
The result? The Vikings have a group of players who Spielman expected to develop into contributors. Instead, those players have turned into guys on the fringe of the roster. That’s before taking into account Spielman’s woes in the first round, which has seen the Vikings land just one major contributor, Jefferson, since 2016.
That’s led to a thin roster that falls apart when a player is forced to miss time. It also left the Vikings with a group of players who were torched against second-teamers last preseason.
These factors combined to produce a 75-yard drive where Goff looked like the quarterback many expect Cousins to be. With the game on the line, Goff found Amon-Ra St. Brown and gave the Lions their first victory in nearly a full calendar year.
