If Kirk Cousins hadn’t torn his Achilles late in Sunday’s win over the Packers, people might be talking about the Vikings as a sneaky contender.
They just won their third game in a row — their first by multiple scores — and have ranked in the top ten in both offensive and defensive efficiency over the last month.
This is a team that really seemed to be putting it all together on both sides of the ball. But then Cousins went down, throwing the Vikings’ season off of its course. Now they’ll have to move forward and attempt to make the playoffs with some combination of Jaren Hall, Josh Dobbs, and Nick Mullens at quarterback. It’s doable, but it won’t be easy. Let’s take a look at this week’s national power rankings to see where the Vikings fall.
CONOR ORR, SI.COM: NO. 23 (DOWN 1 SPOT) Losing Kirk Cousins at this point is a backbreaker.
I had heard the Sunday Night Football crew talking about how complex the Kevin O’Connell offense is and how difficult it would be to expect someone to walk in off the street and play well.
But, I do remember Baker Mayfield joining the Rams off a red eye and beating the Raiders last year as well. Food for thought. O’Connell, a former quarterback, can adjust. At this point, the Vikings have no choice but to keep scrapping.
A teardown isn’t in the cards. JOSH KENDALL, THE ATHLETIC: NO. 24 (DOWN 8 SPOTS) Something scary (for them): Kirk Cousins’ injury
Cousins was playing perhaps the best football of his career before suffering a torn Achilles on Sunday.
He is second in the league in passing yards per game (291.8), and that will end up being the second-highest single-season number of his career.
Rookie Jaren Hall finished the game Sunday, but coach Kevin O’Connell indicated after the game that all options, including signing a street free agent or making a trade, are on the table to fill Cousins’ large shoes.
ERIC EDHOLM, NFL.COM: NO. 19 (UP 1 SPOT) The Vikings find themselves in a similar place to the Jets: nominally in contention, but facing some hard questions at quarterback. Kirk Cousins’ devastating Achilles injury opens up the possibility that he’s played his final game for the club, and it puts the Vikings into a fascinating short-term quandary, as they currently sit in the No.7playoff spot in the NFC. It doesn’t feel like there’s a Brett Favre-like answer just waiting for the phone to ring, even if everyone knows whom Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell once backed up as a Patriots player. More likely, it’s Jaren Hall or Sean Mannion or Nick Mullens, or some combination of them. If this is it for Cousins in Minnesota, it’s a cruel twist of fate. He’d been playing some really good football. Neither he nor Vikings fans deserved this.
FRANK SCHWAB, YAHOO! SPORTS: NO. 24 (DOWN 9 SPOTS) We have to judge the Vikings for what they are now, and without Kirk Cousins the rest of the season they are probably going to struggle. Next up is probably fifth-round rookie Jaren Hall. They could sign someone like Carson Wentz. But the truth is that nobody available at the start of November is going to turn the Vikings into a contender. It’s a brutal break for a team that was starting to ascend.
BLEACHER REPORT STAFF: NO. 21 (NO CHANGE) Minnesota might technically be in the thick of things with a 4-4 record and three straight victories. But the team isn’t in position to build on its recent success after Cousins suffered a torn Achilles tendon.
With Cousins out for the season, Minnesota will turn to fifth-round rookie Jaren Hall. Maybe general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah tries to swing a trade and bring in another veteran quarterback.
In either case, the Vikings will experience a significant downgrade at the game’s most important position and the season could quickly spiral out of control.
ESPN STAFF: NO. 17 (UP 4 SPOTS) Kirk Cousins tore his right Achilles tendon Sunday — which has thrown the QB position into shambles, especially considering that veteran backup Nick Mullens is on injured reserve because of a back ailment. Mullens is eligible to return as early as Week 10, but it’s not clear if he will be ready.
The Vikings’ best bet at the moment might be rookie Jaren Hall, a fifth-round pick who had his share of struggles during extensive preseason action. The only other quarterback on the roster is veteran Sean Mannion, who was signed to the practice squad when Mullens was hurt. — Kevin Seifert
PETE PRISCO, CBS SPORTS: NO. 23 (DOWN 4 SPOTS) With Kirk Cousins out for the year, they are done, which is why they are down this far. He was playing outstanding football before tearing his Achilles against the Packers. There is no quarterback who can save them now who would be available or who is on the roster.
MIKE FLORIO, PROFOOTBALLTALK: NO. 16 (UP 1 SPOT) Will the devastation of losing Kirk Cousins cause others to step up, or to give up?
DAVID HELMAN, FOX SPORTS: NO. 19 (UP 4 SPOTS) What a gut punch. Had Kirk Cousins not gotten hurt against the Packers, the Vikings would be looking just as hot and just as entertaining as the Bengals.
Instead, Cousins is done for the year and things feel hopeless despite winning four of the last five. It will be interesting to see how they move forward at quarterback, but it just sucks all the way around.
