Vikings bring Cousins back to try to keep the season on track, putting O'Connell under scrutiny

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — With two losses in a nine-day span, the Minnesota Vikings tumbled out of first place in the entire NFC as their undefeated record vanished and their offensive success from seasons past remained well out of sight.

New general manager Nolan Teasley delivered a forceful reminder that the Vikings, despite their severe struggle to score, are still 6-2.

Teasley's belief in the capability and makeup of this team, beyond the vexing situation at quarterback , showed on Tuesday when he beat the NFL trade deadline to bring Kirk Cousins back to Minnesota. The deal for a 2027 third-round draft pick also put coach Kevin O'Connell on the clock to prove he's the right long-term fit.

Cousins has not only thrived in O'Connell's system before but played solidly as a 38-year-old all season for the Las Vegas Raiders, ranking second in the league with 20 touchdown passes and fifth with 2,340 yards. If Cousins can't give the Vikings a spark and close the vast gap between the offense and the defense, then there will clearly be a serious problem with the way O'Connell has been calling plays and designing them.

As poorly as Carson Wentz played in the 23-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday night, Kyler Murray had plenty of struggles before him. So did J.J. McCarthy last year.

“We just never got Carson in a rhythm,” O'Connell said. “We tried a bunch of tools to see if we could help that happen. I just didn’t do a good enough job.”

O'Connell said the coaching staff has cut down on the volume of plays in recent weeks to try to simplify the game plans, but whatever boost the streamlining provided wasn't enough. O'Connell specifically blamed himself for not calling more runs against the Bills, considering Jordan Mason had 35 yards on just six carries.

O’Connell has drawn rave reviews from the Vikings for his leadership over a five-year run that’s glaringly without a playoff game win, but since Sam Darnold’s breakout season in 2024 the offense has been in a persistent funk as O'Connell has tried to mold it around multiple quarterbacks.

Since the 2025 opener, a 25-game span, the Vikings rank in the bottom five in the league in the following categories, according to Sportradar data: net yards per game, net yards per play, three-and-out percentage, and offensive touchdowns.

“The issue right now is our preparation is not coming to the stadium with us,” O'Connell said. “We've got to figure that out.”

Another sign of an ailing group came in the second quarter when the Vikings were flagged three times for false starts, playing in the comfort of their home stadium without the crowd noise working against them. With such a thin margin for error the offense is operating on, even those 5-yard penalties can be crushing.

The pass rush generated by the relentless blitz calls from defensive coordinator Brian Flores and the smart and versatile players who carry them out is almost a given at this point. The bounce-back performance up front in slowing Buffalo's rushing attack after a rough finish in Detroit stood out even more. James Cook needed 31 carries to reach 107 yards, and Josh Allen had only 15 yards on six carries.

Rookie Brett Thorson landed four of his five punts inside the 20-yard line and posted an average of 48 yards per attempt, with one downed at the 1-yard line midway through the second quarter.

The entire offensive coaching staff, from O'Connell to offensive coordinator Wes Phillips to quarterbacks coach Josh McCown, has failed to find a way to create productivity, let alone consistency. The promotion of Keith Carter to offensive line coach and the hiring of Frank Smith as assistant head coach were billed as impactful changes for that side of the ball, but the results have not matched the intent.

The health of Murray's hamstring remains a question, though less pressing now that Cousins is coming. Wide receiver Jauan Jennings (calf) and safety Theo Jackson (quadriceps) were inactive on Monday.

393 — Receiving yards for Jefferson, a stunningly low pace for under 800 yards for the season. He was targeted 11 times and had three receptions for 58 yards on Monday.

The schedule stays in hard mode for the next two weeks. After the trip to Green Bay on Sunday, the Vikings go back on the road to Mexico City to face NFC-leading San Francisco on Nov. 22. The Packers scored a season-high 45 points on Sunday at New England. The 49ers are third in the league with an average of 29.4 points per game.

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