Invite to our morning-after Vikings blog site, where well revisit every video game by looking at 2 gamers who stood apart, 2 issues for the team, 2 trends to watch and one big question. Here we go:
The 22-yard back-shoulder throw Cousins finished to Jefferson, against guy coverage from Texans cornerback Phillip Gaines, was the first-round picks final and fourth catch on a 103-yard day. It made him the 6th novice in Vikings history with back-to-back 100-yard getting games, and it showed simply how quickly hes worked his method onto the short list of Cousins most trusted targets.
Think about the much-discussed deep shot he required to Tajae Sharpe on 4th-and-3 versus the Packers in Week 1, when the quarterback topples Sharpe and coach Mike Zimmer intimated after the video game he would have rather Cousins tried Thielen on the other side. Cousins mentioned the safety shaded to Thielens side of the field, saying after the game he usually doesnt like throwing go balls with a safety over the top of a receiver. The play ended up being a symbol for the concept Cousins doesnt trust himself enough with tight-window tosses or provide his receivers enough chances to make plays, and on the Vikings final series of the third quarter on Sunday, he took a second-down sack when he hitched with Jefferson open on a corner route.
As the Vikings head home from Houston and get ready for a Sunday night match in Seattle (albeit in a less painful environment than CenturyLink Field would provide with a capacity crowd), theyll likely require to be ready for a shootout with Russell Wilson. Jeffersons development, and Cousins growing rely on him, provides the Vikings another reason to believe they can compete in such a video game.
After he came off the field following the Vikings final touchdown drive of their 31-23 win over the Texans on Sunday, Kirk Cousins was met by backup quarterback Sean Mannion, who asked in jest, “You been working on back-shoulders to Justin?”
Trust, especially for Cousins, appears to be a valuable product.
Cousins completed passes to only 4 receivers on Sunday– Adam Thielen, Jefferson, Dalvin Cook and Kyle Rudolph– and his typical completion to Jefferson included only 2.3 yards of separation from the closest protector, according to NFL Next Gen Stats (the league average this week was 2.84). The back-shoulder throw led to a 25-yard Cousins-to-Thielen connection with the quarterback rolling to his right, and eventually set up the Alexander Mattison goal the Vikings would require to win the game.
” Thats Kirk simply trusting me to make that play,” Jefferson stated. “The funny part about it is weve never ever really worked on those back shoulder tosses, and to be able to head out there and do it in the video game and complete for the very first down, thats trust right there.”.
” Its simply a feeling that you have,” Zimmer stated Sunday. “I think the more confidence he gets in understanding he can make those, the more hell do them.”.
D.J. Wonnum: We could highlight a number of the normal suspects here– Cook ran for a strong 130 yards, Thielen captured 8 passes and Eric Kendricks integrated 12 takes on with an outstanding 3rd-and-9 pass separation– but well choose Wonnum, the novice defensive end who played 18 snaps on Sunday and is getting a little more work in the Vikings base defense. He raced in unblemished for an easy sack of Deshaun Watson on Sunday, and dealt with David Johnson after a four-yard gain on second down in the second quarter.
The Vikings last 2 scoring drives on Sunday showed what the quarterback can do when he thinks in his arm strength and his receivers, and what happens when he hesitates. It was a source of consternation in the relationship in between Cousins and previous Washington coach Jay Gruden, and its an area where the Vikings have attempted to nudge Cousins toward playing with more assertiveness.
Hes now targeted Thielen or Jefferson with 51 of his 100 passes this season, and even as Stefon Diggs loves a 4-0 Bills group, Jefferson is rapidly showing he can sign up with Thielen as the sort of downfield alternative Cousins enjoyed with Diggs. Jefferson is tied for the league lead with eight catches of 20 yards or more; Diggs has the same number for Buffalo.
” At some point, you simply got to play and think he can do it,” Cousins stated. “And after he changed, found the ball, made the catch, kept his feet in bounds and made the play, I looked at whoever I was with– Dalvin or Adam– as we were moving up the field and stated, 18 can play. Yeah, are we going to develop trust over time?
It was a moment of levity between two passers who know the specific difficulties of the back-shoulder toss– the hours of practice needed to perfect its timing and placement, the confidence it needs in a receivers attention to information and body control. Cousins merely does not have of the very first commodity, after a reduced training school and canceled preseason, with rookie receiver Justin Jefferson. When the Vikings required to convert a 3rd-and-6 in the fourth quarter on Sunday, he banked on the second.
Heres an appearance at another gamer who stood apart in Sundays 31-23 win:.
2 locations of issue: Secondary in pass coverage: The Vikings remained in a challenging area on Sunday after Harrison Smith was ejected late in the second quarter; Zimmer stated the group had actually worked George Iloka as its backup nickel corner with Mike Hughes hurt, including he asked Iloka on the sideline “if he understands what hes doing at security” to make sure he could handle his projects after a position switch. But the Texans finest stretches of offense on Sunday were when they sped up their pace in an effort to sow confusion in a young secondary, and Russell Wilson will provide an even harder obstacle on Sunday night. The Vikings had permitted more explosive plays than any team in the NFL before Sunday, according to Sharp Football Stats, and they permitted nine passes of 15 backyards or more on Sunday.
The play ended up being an emblem for the idea Cousins does not trust himself enough with tight-window tosses or give his receivers enough opportunities to make plays, and on the Vikings final series of the 3rd quarter on Sunday, he took a second-down sack when he hitched with Jefferson open on a corner path.
Youre likely to hear some type of that idea throughout the week– after the Vikings beat the Texans with many of the exact same offensive tenets they used the week before against the Titans– and youre most likely to hear Vikings coaches demur by talking about how things change week-to-week. They held the ball for 36:31 on Sunday, after losing time of ownership fights for much of the year, but the Vikings fondness for providing up big plays implies they cant simply anticipate to win by managing the clock. If Sundays triumph is to turn into any kind of effective reboot for the 2020 Vikings, theyll likely have to combine defensive enhancement with an offense that appears to have 3 legitimate playmakers (Cook, Thielen and Jefferson) to go with the trusted Rudolph.
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The Vikings last 2 scoring drives on Sunday showed what the quarterback can do when he believes in his arm strength and his receivers, and what happens when he hesitates. The Vikings had actually permitted more explosive plays than any team in the NFL before Sunday, according to Sharp Football Stats, and they permitted nine passes of 15 backyards or more on Sunday.
Special teams contributions: The Vikings speed produced the games only turnover on Sunday, when Mike Boone raced down the field to require DeAndre Carters fumble on a first-quarter punt return and previous Penn State track and field athlete Dan Chisena was there to recover the ball. However their average starting field position (their own 22.5-yard line) is still worst in the league, and theyre still waiting on rookie K.J. Osborn to break out as a return man.
The Vikings ability to liquidate games: For the 2nd straight week, the Vikings got the ball in position to wrap things up if they could assemble a long drive and run out the clock. Versus the Titans, they occupied with 6:31 left and gave Tennessee the ball back with 3:52 to go, allowing lots of time for a Stephen Gostkowski consent basket. On Sunday, the Vikings got the ball with 5:52 to go following Watsons goal to Kenny Stills, however the Texans could use 2 of their three timeouts after brings from Alexander Mattison that netted 2 and 4 lawns, respectively, and Cousins a little underthrew Thielen in man coverage on a 3rd-and-6 that would have ended the game. Rather, it was a play the quarterback stated after the video game he wanted back, and it put the Texans in position to drive to the objective line before the Vikings final stop sealed the video game.
On Sunday, the Vikings got the ball with 5:52 to go following Watsons goal to Kenny Stills, however the Texans might utilize two of their 3 timeouts after brings from Alexander Mattison that netted 2 and 4 yards, respectively, and Cousins somewhat underthrew Thielen in man protection on a 3rd-and-6 that would have ended the game. Youre most likely to hear some form of that idea throughout the week– after the Vikings beat the Texans with numerous of the very same offending tenets they utilized the week before against the Titans– and youre likely to hear Vikings coaches demur by talking about how things change week-to-week.
Two patterns to view: Whether Irv Smith gets more included: The second-year tight end has actually struggled to make an impact up until now, and was targeted simply when on Sunday in a video game where he played 41 of the Vikings 66 offending snaps. The team utilizes Smith in enough different manner ins which its unreasonable to judge his contributions solely as a receiver, however it did draft him to become the type of downfield danger versus safeties it just hasnt had. Rudolph has a $9.45 million cap number for 2021; in a year where the Vikings will be tight against the cap, Smiths introduction (or lack thereof) may be a consider how they handle their future 31-year-old tight end.
