The Minnesota Vikings are coming off of an ugly Week 2 loss to the Green Bay Packers and will try to right the ship when they play host to the Oakland Raiders this Sunday.
Luckily for the Vikings, the Raiders are not nearly as tough of an opponent as the Packers, so this is a pretty big opportunity for them to snag a win and get back on track.
Here are three key Minnesota players to watch in this Week 3 matchup.
3. Dalvin Cook
Dalvin Cook has been an absolute monster over the first couple of weeks and leads the NFL with 265 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
However, Oakland's run defense has been surprisingly stout thus far, allowing just 63 rushing yards per game, which ranks fourth in the league. So, this should be a good matchup.
If Cook can get loose against the Raiders defense, the Vikings should be able to ride him to a win. If not, Oakland may actually have a shot to win this thing, so Cook needs to be effective, unlike Kansas City Chiefs running back LeSean McCoy this past Sunday.
2. Stefon Diggs
While Stefon Diggs is generally not considered one of the best receivers in the league, he is still pretty darn good, so the fact that he has only caught three passes through the first couple of games is eye-opening.
Article Continues BelowLook for the Vikings to try and get Diggs involved early in this one, as he is a big-time playmaker and is coming off of a monster 2018 campaign in which he hauled in 102 receptions for 1,021 yards and nine touchdowns.
With Diggs and Adam Thielen, Minnesota has a pair of terrific wide outs, but the Vikings need to establish Diggs at some point if they want their offense to get off the ground.
1. Kirk Cousins
Has any quarterback in the league played worse than Kirk Cousins over the first two weeks?
Through two games, Cousins has thrown for 328 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions while completing a meager 52.4 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 74.3.
It's doubtful that Cousins' rough stretch will last, as this is a guy who, even though he was widely criticized, completed 70.1 percent of his throws last year.
Cousins certainly needs to play a whole lot better going forward if the Vikings want to be serious contenders.