Questions Answered: Fraud v. Contender Is Dumb, Cousins’ Health, How to Beat GB
Dustin Baker
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The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by PurplePTSD. Today is the December 30th edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.
Questions Answered: Fraud v. Contender Is Dumb, Cousins’ Health, How to Beat GB
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Q: Does this Vikings fraud-contender endless debate even matter?
A: Well, it’s fascinating to contemplate — are the Vikings for real? — but the debate will be settled in the postseason. And 31 teams will be considered fraudulent on February 13th, so it’s a pretty high bar to clear here.
The “debate” is irrelevant because Kevin O’Connell, in his first year, has led the Vikings to at least 12 wins and a home playoff game. Nothing can erase it. The team is in good hands henceforth, no matter how the debate is settled.
The building blocks have been laid. Sit back and enjoy O’Connell’s first-year result.
Q: Are you ever concerned that one of these huge hits Kirk Cousins is taking will knock him out for good?
A: Definitely.
Cousins has been hit more than any quarterback in the NFL in 2022, but he always hops right back up. The single most undervalued aspect of Cousins’ toolkit is durability. The man is tough as nails.
He’s still never missed a game to injury, and the only game he missed because of his own durability was the COVID game in 2021 at Green Bay.
On the whole, you shouldn’t be surprised one bit if one these big hits finally KO’d Cousins. We’ve merely been lucky so far.
Q: What’s the key to beating the Packers, in your estimation?
A: The Packers rank 32nd in the NFL per rushing defense DVOA. They should have a field day getting Dalvin Cook cooking and Alexander Mattison serving as a complementary asset.
On the other hand, Green Bay is excellent via pass defense, so if the Vikings stick with their pass-happy ways, Sunday afternoon may be tumultuous.
Minnesota leaned on Cook in 2020 at Lambeau, and it worked marvelously. They should do it again.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).