Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images
The Minnesota Vikings entered Week 10 with a stranglehold onfirst place in the NFC North. But despite a 7-1 record, they weren'tgetting a lot of run as a realistic threat to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LVII.Part of the reason was the lack of a statement win—Minnesota's victoryover the Dolphins in Miami came with Tua Tagovailoa on the shelf, and Minnesotawas throttled by the Eagles in Philadelphia in Week 2.
After storming back in the second half to knock off the Bills 33-30 (OT) in Buffalo,the Vikings have that signature victory. And while the Vikes have issues, taking out the Bills (6-3) for a seventh straight victory cementstheir status as a force to be reckoned with.
The Vikings have made a habit of living dangerously—Minnesotahasn't won by double digits since Week 1, and there have beena number of comeback victories. Sunday was no different. When Minnesota fellbehind 27-10 in the third quarter, a blowout seemed more likely than acomeback.
But as has been the case all season, there was no quit inthe Vikings. They scratched and clawed their way back into the game, and witha minute left they faced a 4th-and-goal from the half-yard line with achance to take the lead.
And then…madness.
Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins was stuffed,which seemingly clinched the game for the Bills. But as Buffalo quarterback JoshAllen attempted to sneak his way out of the end zone, a botched exchange wasrecovered in the end zone by Vikings linebacker Eric Kendricks.
Ballgame, right?
Wrong.
Allen drove the Bills the length of the field to set up achip-shot field goal that tied the game. Then the Vikings answered with a fieldgoal of their own on the first drive of overtime. Then Allen once again led theBills into the red zone with less than two minutes left in overtime. But veterancornerback Patrick Peterson's second interception of the day sealed the deal onone of the wilder wins in recent memory.
While speaking to Pam Oliver of FoxSports after the game, Cousins credited the team for rallying around oneanother.
"It was a team win," Cousins said. "All eightof our wins have been that way. We beat ourselves up and then we find a way toclaw back. We stay together. It's a tough team, and we keep showing it. We arebattle-tested. Would like to win a little more convincingly than this, andthere's so much to get better at. But thrilled to come out with a victory againsta really good football team."
AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes
On some level, it's appropriate that Cousins credited histeammates because they rather bailed him out in this one.
There has long been a narrative surrounding Cousins that whilehe can pile up stats against bad teams, he withers in prime-time games oragainst formidable opponents. In some respects, Cousins' performance against theBills fed into that narrative. Cousins did throw for 357 yards, but he completedjust 60 percent of his passes, posted a passer rating of just 71.8 and threw apair of interceptions.
But as has been the case all season, when one Vikingfalters, another steps up. On Sunday, it was Cousins' top two weapons who picked up the slack.
Running back Dalvin Cook was outstanding against one of thebest run defenses in the league. Cook carried the ball just 14 times, but hepiled up 119 yards doing so—including an 81-yard touchdown. He also added 27yards on three catches.
As good as Cook was against the Bills, Justin Jefferson wasawesome. Dominant. Domisome. Aweminant.
All Jefferson did against a Bills defense allowing just over210 passing yards a game was amass 193 yards by himself. That career best in yardagecame on 10 receptions, one of which was the catch of the year in the NFL.
How did he do that?
The Vikings defense did its part as well. Yes, Minnesota's 29th-rankeddefense allowed a whopping 486 yards of offense and 30 points. But it's hardlyunusual for the Bills to light up an opposing defense, and the Vikings alsosacked Allen twice and notched four takeaways.
That's the Minnesota defense in a nutshell. All season,the Vikings have allowed a lot of yards. But they rank in the top half ofthe league in points allowed, are tied with the Eagles for the most takeawaysin the NFL with 18 and rank 10th in the NFL with 26 sacks.
Minnesota bends. But it doesn't break. And when a big playis needed, the Vikings come up with one.
Even in victory, the issues that could derail adeep playoff run by the Vikings were evident. They do indeed give up alot of yardage. And for all the firepower the Vikings have offensively, at somepoint it's going to come down to Cousins having to rewrite that narrativesurrounding him—to come up big when the pressure is at its highest.
Are the Vikings as complete a team as the undefeated Eagles?No. Minnesota doesn't have a dominant defense like the Dallas Cowboys or SanFrancisco 49ers. Cousins isn't Tom Brady, either.
AP Photo/Joshua Bessex
But for all the flak that Cousins gets, he's a capable veteranquarterback. Cook and Jefferson are top-five options at their respectivepositions. The Vikings have an above-average offensive line. A pair ofexcellent pass-rushers in Za'Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter. An opportunisticdefense that makes big plays when needed. And now the Vikings have demonstratedthat they can go on the road and down a Super Bowl contender.
The Vikings might not be the best team in the NFL. Or eventhe best team in the NFC. But on Sunday, Minnesota served notice to the rest ofthe league.
The 2022 Vikings are for real. And those who underestimate themdo so at their own peril.
