Roll The Tape: Can Kirk Cousins Save The Vikings’ Super Bowl Hopes?

The Minnesota Vikings have a new quarterback. The Green Bay Packers might have the most dangerous duo on offense. The Los Angeles Rams finally have their dominant duo on defense. Each week, I dive into the All-22 coaches’ film before offering a few insights to watch. Here are three developments that could be long-term storylines involving some of the best teams and players in the NFL. Christmas came early for the Vikings, who received a huge gift in the form of Kirk Cousins via a desperate trade with the Las Vegas Raiders. The deal reunites Minnesota’s old QB1 with Kevin O’Connell, as the frustrated head coach and offensive playcaller tries to revive a dormant offense that has scored only 11 offensive touchdowns this season. Although some would call a third-round pick a hefty price for a 38-year-old quarterback nearing the end of his NFL run, the Vikings’ putrid offense has desperately needed a point guard to spread the ball around to a collection of electric playmakers who have been stymied by miserable quarterback play since the start of the 2025 season. While Kyler Murray was expected to jumpstart the unit, the two-time Pro Bowler has been injured and ineffective since Week 1. And with Carson Wentz virtually unplayable as a fill-in on Monday night, the Vikings were forced to bring back their old franchise quarterback to see if he can save their title hopes with rock-solid pocket play. Despite coming off his worst performance of the season in Week 9 against the 49ers, Cousins is an upgrade over his predecessors because of his scheme knowledge and willingness to force-feed the ball to Justin Jefferson on the perimeter. The veteran enjoyed a stellar run with KOC in 2022, throwing for 4,547 yards and 29 touchdowns while leading Minnesota to a 13-4 record. Jefferson was the biggest beneficiary of Cousins’ presence, earning Offensive Player of the Year honors after tallying 128 receptions, 1,809 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Cousins was producing at an even more prolific rate in 2023 through eight games (2,331 yards, 18 TDs, 5 INTs) before tearing his Achilles, which marked the end of his first stint with the Vikings. While it is unlikely Cousins can hit those numbers at his advanced age, he arrives in Minneapolis having thrown for multiple touchdowns in seven of his nine starts with the Raiders this season. As a touch-and-timing passer with great anticipation, Cousins will enable KOC to work the middle of the field with traditional drop-back and play-action concepts. Additionally, his familiarity with the offense should allow the Vikings to use the back pages of the playbook, leading to more “scheme it up” touchdowns to wideouts Jefferson and Jordan Addison and tight end T.J. Hockenson on exotic play designs. With Cousins also understanding the nuances of the system and how to get the offense into the perfect call against bastardized looks, the Vikings’ overall efficiency should improve with a better pre-snap process at the line. Whether that means calling a run into a “light box” or checking into the perfect “hot” route to counter a blitz, Cousins’ experience and expertise should bode well for an offense that has struggled to move the ball, much less put points on the board. Granted, KOC and Cousins will need time to get on the same page after spending so much time apart, but the chemistry and connection between the playcaller and playmaker should lead to better play from a unit that simply requires competent quarterback play. While achieving postseason success with Cousins is a daunting challenge (he has won just one of his four career postseason starts, and those were all during his prime), the 6-2 Vikings desperately needed the veteran back to give them a chance to make a run this year. Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love has emerged as an MVP candidate in 2026, but the ascension of Christian Watson and Matthew Golden as the league’s most explosive receiving duo is currently generating just as much buzz within league circles. While the Packers’ co-WR1s have been impressive throughout the season, their Week 9 dismantling of Pro Bowl cornerback Christian Gonzalez and the New England Patriots has evaluators singing their praises. In helping the Packers earn a 45-27 win, Watson and Golden became the first teammates to finish with 150-plus receiving yards and a touchdown since 2023. Moreover, they put on a 60-minute exhibition of superior route-running and playmaking that should serve as teaching tape for aspiring receivers looking to elevate their games. Watson is the classic vertical receiver on the outside, with his size, speed and length creating mismatches on the perimeter. The fifth-year pro is a blur on downfield routes, using his long strides and sneaky acceleration to blow past defenders. Measuring at 6-foot-4, 208 pounds, with a verified 4.36 40 time at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine, Watson leads the league with 17 big-play catches (20-plus yards) while averaging 17.9 yards per catch and 97.7 receiving yards per game. Watson has developed into one of the deep-ball specialists in the business, sporting a 50% catch rate on passes covering 20-plus air yards (nine receptions on 18 targets for 354 yards) and a 39.3 yards-per-catch average on those throws in 2026, per Next Gen Stats. The 5-foot-11 Golden is nearly as productive as an explosive playmaker with 14 “big-play” snags, tied for the fourth-most in the NFL. As a high-volume receiver, the 2025 first-rounder specializes in getting open using crafty releases and top-of-the-route moves to create significant separation at the break point. He is sneaky effective as a downfield target, averaging 41.3 yards per catch on seven receptions that covered at least 20 air yards. Additionally, he is averaging 87.0 receiving yards per game. Although his catch rate is less than ideal (57.6%), Golden makes up for his inconsistencies with spectacular “catch-and-run” plays, logging 245 YAC (yards after catch) yards, which ranks 17th in the NFL. With the 6-3 Packers relying heavily on the passing game to move the ball because of their struggles on the ground, the emerging duo is showing up and showing out as arguably the best 1-2 receiving punch in football. It took until Week 9 for the football world to see the collaboration that defensive enthusiasts had been waiting for as superstar defensive linemen Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald lined up beside one another against the Washington Commanders. The future gold jacket wearers have combined for five Defensive Player of the Year awards, 13 first-team All-Pro selections, 239.5 total sacks and 328 tackles for loss between them. Even with Donald in the twilight of his career, the sight of No. 99 alongside No. 95 on the Rams’ defensive front changes everything for opponents. Garrett’s speed, explosiveness and athleticism from the edges overwhelm offensive tackles, while Donald can still wreak havoc on interior blockers with his strength, power and relentless effort. The perennial All-Pros routinely have their way with blockers, using a mix of finesse and power moves to get to the quarterback on pivotal downs. Against the Commanders, we finally got a chance to catch a glimpse of how Garrett and Donald would work together at the point of attack. The results were spectacular: The Rams held the Commanders to 5.0 yards per play while registering four sacks on the 23 snaps they were on the field together. Compared to the 8.0 yards per play and the touchdown allowed during the 19 plays they were both off the field, the Rams’ defensive resurgence, sparked by the veterans, will force the rest of the league to take notice. Garrett, who generated six pressures and three sacks on 27 pass rushes (22.2% pressure rate), looked like the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in his first action since Week 1. He looked fully back from knee surgery, whipping the Commanders’ offensive line with basketball moves he’s patented at the line of scrimmage. Whether it was the classic “Euro-step” on his strip-sack of Jayden Daniels (his first sack of the game) or the crossover move that led to his third sack, Garrett’s freakish athleticism creates problems for lumbering defenders at the line. Schematically, Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula used a hardwood concept to create favorable matchups for Garrett to tap into his hoops repertoire on the grass. On Garrett’s third sack of the game, the Rams aligned in a “Double Eagle” front with the five-time All-Pro positioned over the center at five yards depth. Donald and defensive end Braden Fiske (No. 55) lined up outside the offensive guards, with outside linebackers Byron Young (No. 0) and Josaiah Stewart (No. 10) aligned on the outside shoulders of the offensive tackle. The pre-snap alignment isolated Garrett at center, with Donald and Fiske creating a bigger runway by taking outside releases to the offensive tackles after the snap. With Young and Stewart bluffing and bailing into coverage, the Rams won with a three-man rush that gave Garrett plenty of room to work over Commanders center Matt Glubin with a hesitation “dip-and-rip” move or a crossover that showcased his athleticism and basketball skills in the clutch. Although the Commanders’ game was a showcase for Garrett, Donald’s presence at the line of scrimmage is noteworthy as well. The veteran has generated multiple pressures in each of the past five games, and his pressure rate has increased despite not registering a sack yet. With the Rams’ offensive firepower potentially muted by Davante Adams and Puka Nacua on the sidelines, the defensive front’s resurgence might be enough to salvage the club’s playoff hopes.