There it is. The you like that chant Kirk Cousins back at
FedEx field for the first time since he left the Washington
franchise. After the 2017 season.
I didn't like it for most of the game.
Kirk Cousins seemed overmatched. He seemed
confused. They had a touchdown on the first drive, they After
that. But afterward, there they are on the plane
with the chains shirts off, sun's out guns out and Kirk
Cousins. And could you imagine the Vikings doing that last
year with Mike? Zimmer was the coach? Could you imagine?
I have a feeling that would not have been happening. First of
all, they weren't winning so there's no reason to celebrate
but Mi I tell you what,
this whole idea of finding a way to win close games.
I
it's it's nothing that ever shows up on a stat sheet.
It's purely and totally intangible but it's about
focusing
in a moment when the focus is needed the most and what it
epitomize the yesterday, when the defense made a stop
doubt, you could just tell Dalvin, cook
had a level determination
that they weren't going to be denied. He wasn't going to be
denied and they weren't going to be denied and I don't know
if it's coaching
culture,
it's all those things. It gets guys to really Come together
in moments of adversity and not fractured what we're talking
about earlier with Andy Reid. What do you do in those moments
where it's not your day, would have been very easy for
the Vikings after that, weird. Goofy play. Where
the official gets in the way of a defensive back and
the commander skorr and they go up 10 to 7. It would have been
very easy to say it's just not our day and then it's 6:43. All
right, hey we've had a great run
six and two is fine
but you know but they come back and What A Catch by Dalvin cook
to tie the game up, halfway through the fourth quarter.
I said he was not going to be denied yesterday miles, and
that mindset. Is why they're
winning these games late. They will not be denied.
Yeah, they don't quit. I think Kevin O'Connell obviously has
done a really nice job of establishing what he wants his
culture to be. And when you get out to this much success, so
early on in your tenure
mean, it's gonna help you not just this year, but I think
four years down the line, right? So, yeah, you get
a situation where Kirk Cousins has to engineer a comeback in
the building that used to be his home and you
get people cheering you like that
and you get back on the plane and you know you talked about
being overmatched or bewildered or whatever. I mean I'm
a little overmatched and bewildered by whatever in
the world was going on, on that plane. Because Kurt Cousins
with the chains in the shirt off
and your 30,000 feet or wherever they're still on
the tarmac. I don't know. That's the wild stuff but it shows
what's going on. There
is good, right? You don't have celebrations like that without
Really, really strong kind of internal culture.
That's been built, not just with the offense of success but
also with the defense and everybody's coming together,
right? And I think that symbol Matic also when you're on
the field and you see the TJ Hawkins and who got there on
Wednesday, as nine catches for what 70 80, yard something like
that. That's not something that you expect to see out of a guy
who literally just walked in the building for the first
time. So
they've got something rolling in Minnesota. They really do
ninth are Gets nine catches 70 yards Hawkinson told me after
the game that it was like learning a new language all
week long. He spent over time doing it was his fourth
offense, that he's had to learn his career. And he's got little
tricks
that he uses devices to learn
the terminology and what helped him was
and this was a great Point.
He'd already played the commander so he didn't have to
spend as much time studying their defense. He could spend
more time learning The Playbook. He knew that defense
from when they played earlier this year, but Mi this is where
the road officially gets Rocky for the Kings
at Buffalo.
Cowboys
Patriots
Jets at the Lions, which is not going to be easy. Divisional,
game, Colts okay. Giants
on Christmas Eve
at the Packers, which is not going to be easy at the Bears,
which is not going to be easy,
and it may be. Meaning of the may be meaningless for
the Vikings by then
they'll have the division,
probably locked up by them, but that it gets difficult,
the good news though, they got five out of six home games coming up
after Buffalo five out of six. Games
in the Metrodome before they go outside for the last two at
the Packers in the Middle. Where die?
Ellen. The Metrodome US Bank Stadium. Sorry. Well it's
enough. They know who I mean? Just like Giants stadium
and Met Life. Sorry. Sorry. It's only been six years since
they opened the new stadium. Cut me some slack
only anyway. Anyway,
what was my point?
Oh well, look,
they've built in some buffer
there four and a half games ahead in the division
and who knows what they're going to be? Who knows they've
lost? They lost though the one loss. Were soundly beaten by
The Eagles. But you know what? If they would have a rematch
with the Eagles, it would be like four months later.
And
who knows? Who knows? I just I keep predicting
that this thing is going to fall apart and every time, it
looks like it's going to fall apart. They find a way to slap
it back together and get it done.
Yeah, they do. And look. I mean, this is a huge game next
week between the Vikings and the Buffalo Bills. I mean,
I remember last time those two teams met was in
2018. And it was basically Josh Allen's coming out party
because LeapFrogs over and over the defender linebacker and
it's like, oh my gosh. Whoa, who is this? And so, like, this
is now one of these games that's between one-loss, teams
giving us not anymore, right? And this is the bills have
more than one, but it's
it's going to be one of those situations where you're going
to see if the Vikings can actually compete with one of
the top teams because they didn't last time. They faced
somebody in the Eagles that we know is one of those top teams.
So I'm looking
forward to Seeing how they do.
That's a hell of a game. To be landing at 1:00 Eastern to next
Sunday. That's where it is. And it was a game in 2018 where
the Vikings were 17 and a half Point favorites and the bills
came in and and thump them. And that's when we realized Josh
Allen can run. We've been so focused on
passing and accuracy and is his completion percentage and how
much of its him. The weather, the receivers and he ran around
overthrew
the Vikings that day.
So this is the first time
And this first time they're going to see to find eggs. We
didn't mention the Josh Allen elbow injury, he heard it late
in the game. He said he'll be fine
if he's not fine,
it's the Bizarro Minneapolis Miracle game
because it'll be Case Keenum
and Stefon Diggs against the Vikings. Those were the two
guys, obviously, who who put together, one of the all-time
great postseason plays in NFL history.
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