Kirk Cousins begins second stint with Vikings where his first one ended

The Minnesota Vikings hit the road again in the difficult NFC North, where every team has at least six wins, including the Green Bay Packers (6-3). The Vikings beat Green Bay in the season opener, 39-22, at U.S. Bank Stadium . Can Kirk Cousins lift Vikings vs. surging Packers? A 6-2 team hasn’t been this down in a while. Enter Kirk Cousins, whom the Vikings reacquired via trade with the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday before the NFL trade deadline. Cousins could return to the starting lineup right away in Green Bay, where his first Vikings tenure ended in 2023 due to a torn Achilles tendon in the fourth quarter of a win. The Packers have won five of their last six games. Quarterback Jordan Love just put a strong chapter in his MVP case with last week’s win in New England, where Green Bay put up a season-high 45 points and a season-high 478 yards without a turnover. Advertisement Cousins will be asked to lift a 31st-ranked Vikings offense that, according to one advanced metric (-0.6 expected points added per play), just had the NFL’s worst performance of the season by any team in Monday night’s loss to Buffalo. Few quarterbacks have had as much production against Brian Flores’ defenses as Love, whose 387 passing yards in the Vikings’ Week 1 win remain his season high. Love is connecting well with top receivers Christian Watson and Matthew Golden. They’re having breakout seasons. Watson, whose 879 receiving yards rank third in the NFL, is averaging nearly 98 yards per game; his career-best mark entering this year was 61 yards per game. Packers defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon is also off to a good start. Green Bay’s defense has forced at least two takeaways in five straight games. The Packers’ four turnovers in New England last week included three picks from Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. Packers safety Xavier McKinney’s five interceptions are tied for the NFL lead. Edge rusher Lukas Van Ness is also having a breakout year with a career-best 4½ sacks in nine starts.