Post Game Thread - Lions Edition

[CharVike]

Saw Zach Line with a carry too!

And a blocked punt.

Teddy kinda picking the Bears apart now. He should have two TDs on the day if not for a dropped 30 yard TD pass.

Never thought I would see that. Watch Teddy be Brees replacement for good and they win it all. That's not out of the question. Man this is a strange year so far in the NFL. The NFC looks to be up for grabs. Even the Bears look to be done. I can't get anything right. Old age I guess.

[StumpHunter]

I think there were some that posted that last week was Cousins best performance as a Viking. I thought this week was his best performance. He gave himself more time to throw by his movement in the pocket. He threw well on the run. He had a very very good game. I will repeat what I said after last weeks game...this is not a championship defense. They will have to make a lot of improvements.

Even after this game they will be top 10 in scoring on D.

Every D has bad games. The Bears just gave up 29 to the Saints at home. This was the first game this defense has given up enough points where we needed a big game from our offense to win. The D is good man.

[CharVike]

I think there were some that posted that last week was Cousins best performance as a Viking. I thought this week was his best performance. He gave himself more time to throw by his movement in the pocket. He threw well on the run. He had a very very good game. I will repeat what I said after last weeks game...this is not a championship defense. They will have to make a lot of improvements.

The D needs to be concerning. I think our secondary is a problem. Our O played so good it didn't matter. But maybe that's what a very good team does. D plays bad and the O picks up. That's possible also I think.

[Maelstrom88]

The pass defense really needs to improve from what we saw today. Not enough pressure and Rhodes is definitely hard to figure for me. He either has a great day or is torched.

The offense played exceptionally well. Detroit's defense rates poorly but you can only beat who you play. Cousins could have got the ball to Irv a little quicker on one rollout but you can't complain too much about him these last two weeks. Cooks and the new run scheme brought in by Kubiak are such a perfect fit.

On to the Redskins

[808vikingsfan]

Watching the NO CHI game. Feels like a Vikings game. Bridgewater TD, Patterson TD, hand of to Murray...

Big win today. Big diff between 4-3 and 5-2, esp with GB winning.

Offense looked good. Cousins played well, making good decisions for the most part. I'd like to see him process quicker but he had so much time today, it didn't matter. Cook was the MVP today. He made so many plays where it looked like there was none. Rudolph with a bunch of key plays too

Defense. A lot of miscommunication which is surprising with this veteran team. Didn't like the push DET was getting on runs. Rhodes is becoming a liability. Vikings may need to scheme to protect him more. Kendricks with a big game.

I think this game was one of those anomalies where both offenses could move the ball at will. Win is a win. Short week to prepare. Hope they don't overlook WAS.

Why process quicker when your line gives you the time. Allows Cousins to go through his progressions. Washington is a trap game for sure. Keenum coming home, the redskins will be jacked. By all accounts we should beat them, but this is one you don’t want to look past. SF was favored by a bunch today and it was
9-0 for SF. Weather was terrible but both teams had to play in the conditions. You can’t look past anyone

Just because you have the time, doesn't mean you should hold on to the ball.
The Thielen TD for instance. Adam was open for most of his route and it seemed like he was only thrown to at the last possible moment, almost missed the opportunity there. Nitpicking I know. Just going to enjoy the win.

[Raz]

Good win. Redskins should be easy at home but it is a prime time game can't take them for granted.

The back end of the defense sure could be better but in my opinion the nfl's rules make tight man coverage difficult unless you truely are the best. Some pressure from the d tackle spots would be helpful

[CharVike]

Good win. Redskins should be easy at home but it is a prime time game can't take them for granted.

The back end of the defense sure could be better but in my opinion the nfl's rules make tight man coverage difficult unless you truely are the best. Some pressure from the d tackle spots would be helpful

You bring up a good point. Rules make covering guys tightly almost impossible. That's what they wanted. It makes it difficult to determine if a CB is below par or not. But our secondary was horrible today. If we play Rodgers like that he will score every time they have the ball. We won't win like that.

[J. Kapp 11]

Hey y'all ... don't look now, but Kirk Cousins is quietly putting together quite a season.

Almost 70% completions, over 9 yards per attempt, 1,711 yards, 13 TDs, 3 picks. Oh, and guess who LEADS THE NFL with a 114.3 passer rating? That's right, Kirk Cousins.

His past three games have been off the hook ... 76% completions, 976 yards, 10 TDs, 1 pick, 142.6 passer rating.

He's passed a couple of tests ... two straight road wins, a win against a winning team. Now comes another ... a prime-time game.

Gotta wonder if this guy might be turning a corner. I know, I know -- I was one of the many who were ready to give up on him a month ago. But the guy has shown me something. He's been playing with a chip on his shoulder, and he looks like a totally different guy. Seems his team appreciates his efforts, too. Mike Zimmer gave him the game ball today, and the locker room went berserk.

We've put up 36 points per game over the last three. The 1998 Vikings averaged 34.5. Obviously that was for an entire season, but lately this offense has been in as high a gear as any team in the NFL. We had 503 total yards today. FIVE HUNDRED-THREE!

Redskins, Chiefs and Cowboys before the bye. The way the offense is playing, I don't see any reason we can't go into the bye at 8-2. SKOL!

EDIT: NFL.com is wonky. When you sort stats one way, Cousins leads in passer rating. When you sort another way, Russell Wilson does. Weird. Either way, Cousins is either 1st or 2nd. Pretty darned good.

[VikeFanInEagleLand]

Hey y'all ... don't look now, but Kirk Cousins is quietly putting together quite a season.

Almost 70% completions, over 9 yards per attempt, 1,711 yards, 13 TDs, 3 picks. Oh, and guess who LEADS THE NFL with a 114.3 passer rating? That's right, Kirk Cousins.

His past three games have been off the hook ... 76% completions, 976 yards, 10 TDs, 1 pick, 142.6 passer rating.

He's passed a couple of tests ... two straight road wins, a win against a winning team. Now comes another ... a prime-time game.

Gotta wonder if this guy might be turning a corner. I know, I know -- I was one of the many who were ready to give up on him a month ago. But the guy has shown me something. He's been playing with a chip on his shoulder, and he looks like a totally different guy. Seems his team appreciates his efforts, too. Mike Zimmer gave him the game ball today, and the locker room went berserk.

We've put up 36 points per game over the last three. The 1998 Vikings averaged 34.5. Obviously that was for an entire season, but lately this offense has been in as high a gear as any team in the NFL. We had 503 total yards today. FIVE HUNDRED-THREE!

Redskins, Chiefs and Cowboys before the bye. The way the offense is playing, I don't see any reason we can't go into the bye at 8-2. SKOL!

EDIT: NFL.com is wonky. When you sort stats one way, Cousins leads in passer rating. When you sort another way, Russell Wilson does. Weird. Either way, Cousins is either 1st or 2nd. Pretty darned good.

They play the Broncos before the bye too, so possibly 9-2.

Cousins has been playing well. Most of my criticisms of him revolve around his play in the big games. He probably won't have the chance to win me over until week 16 vs. the Packers on MNF or possibly the last week vs. the Bears. There is also the criticisms of his performances for nationally televised games. He will also have the opportunity to silence those as the Vikings have 2 Sunday Night games coming up and a MNF game vs. the Seahawks coming off the bye.

[CharVike]

Hey y'all ... don't look now, but Kirk Cousins is quietly putting together quite a season.

Almost 70% completions, over 9 yards per attempt, 1,711 yards, 13 TDs, 3 picks. Oh, and guess who LEADS THE NFL with a 114.3 passer rating? That's right, Kirk Cousins.

His past three games have been off the hook ... 76% completions, 976 yards, 10 TDs, 1 pick, 142.6 passer rating.

He's passed a couple of tests ... two straight road wins, a win against a winning team. Now comes another ... a prime-time game.

Gotta wonder if this guy might be turning a corner. I know, I know -- I was one of the many who were ready to give up on him a month ago. But the guy has shown me something. He's been playing with a chip on his shoulder, and he looks like a totally different guy. Seems his team appreciates his efforts, too. Mike Zimmer gave him the game ball today, and the locker room went berserk.

We've put up 36 points per game over the last three. The 1998 Vikings averaged 34.5. Obviously that was for an entire season, but lately this offense has been in as high a gear as any team in the NFL. We had 503 total yards today. FIVE HUNDRED-THREE!

Redskins, Chiefs and Cowboys before the bye. The way the offense is playing, I don't see any reason we can't go into the bye at 8-2. SKOL!

EDIT: NFL.com is wonky. When you sort stats one way, Cousins leads in passer rating. When you sort another way, Russell Wilson does. Weird. Either way, Cousins is either 1st or 2nd. Pretty darned good.

You never know do you. If he keeps playing like this we will be a hard team to beat. I would like to see it continue and I will eat crow no problem. I would like to see us in the Super Bowl if Cousins can do it I'll take it no problem.

[Pondering Her Percy]

Hey y'all ... don't look now, but Kirk Cousins is quietly putting together quite a season.

Almost 70% completions, over 9 yards per attempt, 1,711 yards, 13 TDs, 3 picks. Oh, and guess who LEADS THE NFL with a 114.3 passer rating? That's right, Kirk Cousins.

His past three games have been off the hook ... 76% completions, 976 yards, 10 TDs, 1 pick, 142.6 passer rating.

He's passed a couple of tests ... two straight road wins, a win against a winning team. Now comes another ... a prime-time game.

Gotta wonder if this guy might be turning a corner. I know, I know -- I was one of the many who were ready to give up on him a month ago. But the guy has shown me something. He's been playing with a chip on his shoulder, and he looks like a totally different guy. Seems his team appreciates his efforts, too. Mike Zimmer gave him the game ball today, and the locker room went berserk.

We've put up 36 points per game over the last three. The 1998 Vikings averaged 34.5. Obviously that was for an entire season, but lately this offense has been in as high a gear as any team in the NFL. We had 503 total yards today. FIVE HUNDRED-THREE!

Redskins, Chiefs and Cowboys before the bye. The way the offense is playing, I don't see any reason we can't go into the bye at 8-2. SKOL!

EDIT: NFL.com is wonky. When you sort stats one way, Cousins leads in passer rating. When you sort another way, Russell Wilson does. Weird. Either way, Cousins is either 1st or 2nd. Pretty darned good.

Agree 100% Kapp. Stefanski and kubiak have done their part since that Chicago game. Thielen said after the game today that they knew after that game we needed a more balanced attack and I think Thielen and diggs speaking out was a blessing in disguise. I mean what a turnaround. We’re 2-2 and coming off a terrible loss and thielen is ticked and diggs had the trade speculation to absolutely lighting it up sitting at 5-2 and have perfect balance in this offense. Cousins has been playing like a top 5 QB. We saw that fire in him today. They are letting him play and not making him play like a robot.

The D ticked me off today. Kendrick’s, our DEs And linval are absolute studs. Our back end was all over the place. I think it will get fixed. This could just be “one of those games” with Zims defense. Zim isn’t gonna tolerate that.

Idk what the deal is with Rhodes. He needs to get this figured out. Harris struggled today too. Regardless, this defense is fine. I’m not all that worried. They have still been fairly solid this year. What drives me nuts is the lack of blitzing. That double A gap blitz is absolute deadly. I can’t recall a time where Zim ran it and we gave up a big play or a score since he’s been our head coach. Sometimes I think he just relies on hunter and Griff way too much.

If our offense keeps these game plans going and keeping defenses on their toes and this defense plays solid and maybe get a little more aggressive, we are definitely a SB contender.

And I will say, this schedule looked brutal early in the year. But with Mahomes down, the chargers crapping the bed, I still think Dallas is overrated (philly fumbled the ball 100 times tonight and beat themselves), we can definitely beat GB at home. The only game I’m truly worried about on the remaining schedule is at Seattle.

We have Washington, KC, Dallas and Denver (the game my buddy and I are going to this year) left before the bye. I can definitely see us going 9-2. Linval said he though this season was very similar to 2017 and it’s starting to line up. We started 2-2 and went 13-3. If we stay healthy, continue to execute and balance the offense, I can see a similar record this year. SKOL

[ERIK the PURPLE]

Hughes is very athletic and will only get better (especially when trying to tackle high) and we get Holton Hill back soon. Despite his issues, I think he can ball.

[Pondering Her Percy]

Hey y'all ... don't look now, but Kirk Cousins is quietly putting together quite a season.

Almost 70% completions, over 9 yards per attempt, 1,711 yards, 13 TDs, 3 picks. Oh, and guess who LEADS THE NFL with a 114.3 passer rating? That's right, Kirk Cousins.

His past three games have been off the hook ... 76% completions, 976 yards, 10 TDs, 1 pick, 142.6 passer rating.

He's passed a couple of tests ... two straight road wins, a win against a winning team. Now comes another ... a prime-time game.

Gotta wonder if this guy might be turning a corner. I know, I know -- I was one of the many who were ready to give up on him a month ago. But the guy has shown me something. He's been playing with a chip on his shoulder, and he looks like a totally different guy. Seems his team appreciates his efforts, too. Mike Zimmer gave him the game ball today, and the locker room went berserk.

We've put up 36 points per game over the last three. The 1998 Vikings averaged 34.5. Obviously that was for an entire season, but lately this offense has been in as high a gear as any team in the NFL. We had 503 total yards today. FIVE HUNDRED-THREE!

Redskins, Chiefs and Cowboys before the bye. The way the offense is playing, I don't see any reason we can't go into the bye at 8-2. SKOL!

EDIT: NFL.com is wonky. When you sort stats one way, Cousins leads in passer rating. When you sort another way, Russell Wilson does. Weird. Either way, Cousins is either 1st or 2nd. Pretty darned good.

They play the Broncos before the bye too, so possibly 9-2.

Cousins has been playing well. Most of my criticisms of him revolve around his play in the big games. He probably won't have the chance to win me over until week 16 vs. the Packers on MNF or possibly the last week vs. the Bears. There is also the criticisms of his performances for nationally televised games. He will also have the opportunity to silence those as the Vikings have 2 Sunday Night games coming up and a MNF game vs. the Seahawks coming off the bye.

We still have 5 prime time games left. Washington, Dallas, Seattle, chargers and GB. I don’t see any reason why we couldn’t win those games. Seattle being the toughest but Zim has always played Wilson well. It’s about executing on offense.

I don’t see why today wasn’t considered a “big game”? It was a huge game against a much improved team. Cousins made throws in high pressure situations. Especially the 2nd and 6 to diggs.

[Purple Domination]

I don’t see why today wasn’t considered a “big game”? It was a huge game against a much improved team. Cousins made throws in high pressure situations. Especially the 2nd and 6 to diggs.

Agreed, today was definitely a big game. If the refs screwed anyone last week, it was Kirk out of a “quality win” because the Lions weren’t an “above .500 team“ coming into the game.

[Bowhunting Viking]

In my opinion, I think after Theilen came out and uncharacteristically spoke out to the media, and Diggs did his thing, it was as someone else brought up a blessing in disguise. And I believe it was a 2 fold blessing.
I truly believe the criticism wasn't all leveled at Cousins, I believe it was also intended for Zim.
Think about it . Zim had it in his head I Wanna Run the ball, and Run the ball and then Run some more. I think he was basically handcuffing Stefanski AND Cousins, and trying to fit them into the box he wanted then in, in the process not letting then Outside that box and letting them do what they need to do.
Stefanski looks alot more comfortable and is able to call a much better game.
And Cousins.. man what a difference. I see a guy who regardless of what he says, did see the criticism, got pissed off... has his head coach maybe finally laying off of him and giving him more freedom to play to his strengths and has a Coordinator who is finally able to call plays that also use Kirk's strengths.
This all translates to a talented QB who FINALLY is feeling more comfortable and is feeling VERY confident and it is translating into some great play... and winning!!
I like .. no I LOVE this Kirk. Hes finally just out there playing ball, and playing damn well.
If our D gets back to playing the way they should be, well, with Cousins playing this way and that stud Cook doing his thing . We can be really good.