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The Minnesota Vikings were flying high, then came crashing down to earth on Monday night. After a convincing win over the rival Green Bay Packers in Week 1, the Vikings hit the road to take on the Philadelphia Eagles for Monday Night Football in Week 2. Minnesota looked like a completely different team, and not in a good way, as Philadelphia soared to a 24-7 victory.
Kevin O'Connell may have had an impressive debut, but Monday night's debacle proves the Vikings are still a work in progress. The Eagles shut down the Vikings' offense, which only gained 264 total yards all night. Minnesota's defense didn't fare much better, as Jalen Hurts and co. went wild for 486 total yards.
As a team, Minnesota was nowhere near good enough to earn the win on Monday night. That includes superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who got shut down by Darius Slay. However, a few Vikings were more responsible for the Week 2 loss than Jefferson and the others.
3. Dalvin Cook
Cook, normally one of the best running backs in the NFL, had a dreadful game on Monday night. After going down early, the Vikings largely abandoned the running game, and given Cook's performance, it's easy to understand why. The star back had just six carries for 17 yards all night, averaging a meager 2.8 yards per carry.
Cook was also a non-factor in the passing game with just four catches for 19 yards. After a solid opener against the Packers, in which he had 20 carries for 90 yards, Monday's performance was a massive disappointment.
Minnesota has big aspirations this season, but Cook needs to be better to reach those goals. The Vikings can't have a one-dimensional offense like it did on Monday, and that means their star running back has to step up. Considering the Vikings are paying him nearly $12 million this year, he needs to step up soon.
2. Camryn Bynum
Really, anyone on the Vikings' defense could occupy this spot on the list. Bynum actually had a decent statistical game, with his eight total tackles tied for second on the team. However, he finds himself on this list for allowing Philly's biggest play of the night.
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At the start of the second quarter, Eagles receiver Quez Watkins found himself all alone behind the defense. Hurts found Watkins wide open for a 53-yard touchdown, putting the Vikings in an even bigger hole. The nearest defender on that play was none other than Bynum:
No better way to open the quarter!@JalenHurts ➡️ @Mronesx_ 53 yard 💣
📺: #MINvsPHI on ABC pic.twitter.com/S9R86IqUFl
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) September 20, 2022
Minnesota had the third-worst passing defense in the league last year, allowing 383.6 yards per game. The Vikings secondary looked good against Aaron Rodgers in Week 1, but regressed to its old form on Monday night. That absolutely cannot happen if the Vikings want to reach their true goals.
1. Kirk Cousins
All too often, a quarterback receives too much credit for his team's performance. If the team does well, then the quarterback receives all the praise in the world. If the team performs poorly, then he receives all the blame in the world.
In many cases, these reactions are overblown. Football is a team game after all, and the entire team is responsible for the results, win or lose. However, Cousins absolutely deserves criticism for his performance on Monday night.
Minnesota's quarterback was awful against Philly, completing 27 out of 46 passes for 221 yards, one touchdown and three picks. He averaged a paltry 4.8 yards per attempt, and Darius Slay and the ferocious Eagles defense feasted on Cousins' mistakes. With the loss, the quarterback fell to an embarrassing 2-10 record on Monday Night Football:
Kirk Cousins is now 2-10 in Monday Night Football — the worst record in NFL history
— UberFacts (@UberFacts) September 20, 2022
The Vikings initially signed Cousins as the last piece for a Super Bowl run, but his tenure has been largely a disappointment. Minnesota has missed the playoffs in three of four seasons with Cousins under center. If he doesn't prove he can be a Super Bowl-caliber QB soon, this will go down as one of the most agonizing eras in Vikings history.
