Kirk Cousins’ season is over. To many, that means the Minnesota Vikings’ season is done, too. But don’t tell them that.
Adversity is baked into every NFL season. Poor performances, unlucky bounces, unfavorable officiating, and injuries are simply costs of doing business in America’s most popular sports league. The 2023 Vikings seem to have had more than their fair share only eight weeks into their second campaign under Kevin O’Connell.
After digging themselves a Mississippi River-sized hole by fumbling an unfathomable amount of times, dropping passes, and miscommunicating, the Vikings stared at a 1-4 record and an early three-game deficit in their pursuit of back-to-back NFC North Division titles. In the last of those four losses, Justin Jefferson limped off the field and straight to injured reserve, guaranteeing life without one of the best players in the entire league for at least four weeks.
Just one week later, difference-making newcomer Marcus Davenport joined Jefferson on IR with an ankle injury, hampering a defense that was just beginning to find their mojo.
All of that seems so insignificant today.
The Football Gods can be unjustly cruel. Cousins, who had led his team from the depths of irrelevance back into playoff position with three consecutive victories, had his final contracted season in purple taken from him. Even before confirmation of the Achilles tear had been received, his teammates were already grieving the loss of their unflappable leader.
“There’s nothing really I can say about it. I just love Kirk to death. I love his family. I love him. I love everything about him,” mused T.J. Hockenson after the win in Green Bay.
When asked what Cousins has meant to the locker room as a leader, K.J. Osborn exhaled into a simple response:
“Everything.”
“Response”: Minnesota Vikings Rallying Cry for Life Without Kirk Cousins
For a team that has taken hits in the chin all season, we should expect them to provide what they always have: a “response”.
Responding to adversity became a theme for O’Connell after the loss to Kansas City and was top of mind after the win in Green Bay was coupled with the crushing news of Cousins’ injury.
“We’ve allowed that adversity to be constant learning and growth for our team. The team in that locker room right now is a very confident team. And they know we’re getting better and better … I love this team and what they’re all about right now.”
The “response” rallying cry has reverberated throughout the walls of U.S. Bank Stadium, TCO Performance Center, and whichever NFL field the Vikings have visited these last few weeks. With their offense struggling to get their footing against a bad Carolina team, Harrison Smith and D.J. Wonnum changed the season.
Just three plays after Cousins fumbled, setting up Chicago to take a halftime lead over the lackluster Vikings, Danielle Hunter and Jordan Hicks returned the favor and turned the tide Minnesota’s way.