Nearly a year ago, the Minnesota Vikings came back to beat old friend Taylor Heinicke on the road. On November 6 last year, the Vikings trailed Heinicke and the Washington Commanders 17-7 entering the fourth quarter. But Greg Joseph connected on a short field goal, and Cousins found Dalvin Cook in the end zone to tie it 17-17 with a little under eight minutes remaining. Then he led Minnesota on a six-minute drive to finish off the Commanders in DC.
The Vikings were a much different team when they faced Heinicke’s new team, the Atlanta Falcons, on Sunday. Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles tendon against the Green Bay Packers in Week 8. Justin Jefferson has been out with a hamstring injury since Week 5. And Minnesota ruled left tackle Christian Darrisaw out with a groin injury. Jaren Hall’s rookie debut ended after two drives and 12:11 of playing time when he suffered a concussion trying to scamper into the end zone.
Fortunately, the Vikings had traded for Joshua Dobbs at the deadline.
The former Arizona Cardinals starter led the Vikings to a 31-28 comeback, completing his first-career game-winning drive. Dobbs, 28, began the year as the Cleveland Browns’ backup and had just moved into a house in Phoenix before the deadline. He’s playing for his seventh team since the Pittsburgh Steelers took him in the fourth round of the 2017 draft, and he’s only made 10 career starts.
Dobbs took a sack in the end zone for a safety on his first drive and fumbled on the first drive of the second half. But he threw for two touchdowns and ran for another. He only had 158 yards passing but led the Vikings with 66 yards rushing. In many ways, Dobbs is the anti-Cousins. The Vikings signed Cousins to a fully-guaranteed $84 million deal. He’s a pocket-passing quarterback with a strong, accurate arm. Cousins knows the playbook in and out and is methodical with his reads. Dobbs arrived four days before the Atlanta game, runs better than he throws, and frequently improvises.
The Vikings overhauled their defense in the offseason, bringing in Brian Flores to replace Ed Donatell. Flores blitzes more than any other defensive coordinator in the league; Donatell’s defense was passive and tried to keep everything in front of it. But offense has been Minnesota’s identity since they hired Kevin O’Connell before last season. O’Connell was the Los Angeles Ram’s offensive coordinator, and he installed LA’s complicated scheme and trusted Cousins to run it. O’Connell and Cousins have created Minnesota’s identity since O’Connell’s arrival.
Cousins is a cerebral, perfectionist veteran quarterback who makes checks at the line and diligently progresses through his reads. He occasionally creates chaos by trying to place himself in a plexiglass box or lining up under guard. But he’s generally a stabilizing force. Cousins hadn’t missed a game due to injury until suffering an Achilles injury in Green Bay. He’s routine-oriented and thoroughly prepares for games. And he recalls most of his mistakes in painstaking detail after games.
Minnesota had a straightforward identity under Cousins. They had a steady quarterback, one of the best young tackles in the league protecting him, and one of the best receivers as his primary target. O’Connell pulled the strings from the sidelines, orchestrating an offense he and McVay used to win a Super Bowl in Los Angeles. However, the Vikings had to improvise in Atlanta, and they will have to continue to do so for the rest of the season. They’re 5-4 and in the middle of a stretch of winnable games. But they can’t go on a run using the structure they created in training camp.
Instead, they’ll have to rely on Dobbs’ improvisational ability. The Vikings should eventually get Jefferson and Darrisaw back. But they must be careful with their franchise receiver’s hamstring because those injuries can linger, and groin injuries are painful. Cam Akers left with an Achilles injury, and K.J. Osborn’s concussion knocked him out long enough to concern his teammates. It’s hard to know who will be available next week and what they will look like for the rest of the season.
But that’s life in the NFL. Cousins’ availability was always his best ability, and people frequently took it for granted. The Vikings signed him in 2018 to bring stability after they lost Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Bradford to injury, and Case Keenum’s play didn’t seem sustainable. Dobbs is more Keenum than Cousins. However, people fell in love with the 2017 team that went 13-3 and performed the Minneapolis Miracle. Minnesota’s offense will be unstructured under Dobbs. But the best teams find a way to win no matter the circumstances, and that’s what the Vikings did on Sunday.
