Of course, they could win. That’s the noble way to get in. Sam Darnold & Co are trying to catch the NFC North leading Detroit Lions, a 12-1 team that most fans and pundits consider the best in the league, when healthy.

If the Vikings beat the 4-9 Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football this week, not only would they clinch their playoff spot, but they’d also remain, at worst, one game behind the Lions, with one head-to-head matchup still left on the schedule.

Related: How to Watch NFL Playoffs​ in 2025

But there are other clinching scenarios for the Minnesota Vikings this week, where a win would not be required. And because Vikings vs Bears is the final game of week 15, it’s very possible they will be a playoff team before they take the U.S. Bank Stadium field at 7 PM on Monday.

In fact, the Vikings’ first clinching opportunity of week 15 comes tonight, on Thursday Night Football. Two West Coast NFC teams, the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers will kick off NFL’s week 15 slate of games and Vikings fans should tune-in.

Why is Thursday must-watch TV? Because if the Niners win (or tie) vs the Rams, the Minnesota Vikings are officially a 2024-25 playoff team (per NFL.com). The next chance for Minnesota to skate in will come on Sunday Night Football, when the Seattle Seahawks play the Green Bay Packers.

Minnesota Vikings clinch a playoff spot in week 15 if…

1. Vikings win or tie vs Bears — Monday, 7 PM
2. 49ers win or tie vs Rams — Thursday, 7:15 PM
3. Packers win or tie vs Seahawks — Sunday, 7:20 PM

Would you cheer for a Packers win if it gets the Vikings into the playoffs? If you don’t want to worry about that possibility, then you’d better hope for a 49ers victory tonight. But this week’s edition of Thursday Night Football is about more than Minnesota’s clinching scenarios.

Related: Vikings TE Explains What Kind of Head Coach Kevin O’Connell Is

The San Francisco 49ers need a victory vs their new West Coast rival if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive. For the last half-decade, under head coach Kyle Shanahan, we’ve seen the Niners find their way into the playoffs, catch fire, and make deep runs that include two Super Bowl and two NFC Championship appearances.

But if they lose tonight, at home, the San Francisco 49ers will fall to 6-8, mostly killing their chances of making the playoffs. Outside of the NFC South, .500 won’t be good enough to make this year’s NFL playoff bracket. Lucky you, Kirk Cousins.

Vikings need 49ers to win and contend for playoffs

And guess who the Niners play in week 17? The Detroit Lions, who the Minnesota Vikings NEED to lose one more game, before the two division rivals play week 18, in a regular season finale that could decide the fate of the North.

Should that dream scenario occur, it’s very possible the No. 1 playoff seed in the NFC and a first round bye would also be on the line. If Minnesota cannot surpass Detroit in the next four weeks, and win the division, they’ll settle for an NFC Wildcard, which would limit them to the No. 5 seed, at best.

Related: Former Vikings WR Finds a New Home

That would mean an opening round Wildcard Weekend road game (probably) against whoever wins the NFC South. Going into a hostile Atlanta or Tampa Bay doesn’t feel like a requisite way to reward one of the best teams in the league, but that’s life in the NFL if you can’t win your division.

So Minnesota Vikings fans need to be cheering for a San Francisco 49ers win tonight. Not just so the purple can clinch a playoff spot, but also so the Niners remain in the playoff race and, hopefully, put up the type of fight we know they are capable of in week 17, when they play the Lions just one week before the Vikings do.

Not just this week, but for the next few, we are big Niners fans here in Minnesota.

Had they not turned the ball over twice inside the red zone, the Vikings would have blown out the defending Super Bowl runner-ups. One way to judge football players in 2024 is with Pro Football Focus grades. Some live and die by it. Others don’t believe in PFF, at all.

Whatever you believe, PFF is a widely trusted tool that allows us another way to assess the Minnesota Vikings. As of today, I’m a huge Pro Football Focus guy, because the grades make me feel good. More than likely, head coach Kevin O’Connell and defensive coordinator Brian Flores are too.

PFF grades are very friendly to Minnesota Vikings

Monday Night Football hasn’t been played yet, at the time this article was written. But as of now, the Vikings hold the 3rd highest overall PFF grade in the NFL. Not just Sunday, but on the season, through two games. KOC’s offense ranks 4th, Flores’ defense ranks 6th.

After months of having it drilled into our brains that the 2024 Minnesota Vikings were going to be a bad football team, it’s almost difficult to adjust expectations so quickly, when the shift is this extreme.

In two weeks, we have gone from EVERYONE picking the purple to finish at the bottom of the division, to them being in the top-10 of many power rankings and ranked a top-3 team by PFF. Will it last? The haters say no.

Related: Brock Purdy Confirms: Vikings’ Defensive Scheme under Brian Flores.. “Man, it’s Crazy”

But as long as the Vikings play well, and Sam Darnold stays within himself, it looks like they can compete with just about anyone. So far, the Vikings’ best players on offense, according to PFF, are Christian Darrisaw and Sam Darnold. On defense, PFF loves Harrison Smith and Andrew Van Ginkel, among others.

Originally a major question mark, Minnesota’s defense now looks like a strength. And if that remains the case, going forward, it will give Darnold a lot more room for error, as he and KOC continue to get more and more on the same page.

Vikings fans walking into work/school tomorrow pic.twitter.com/ZUGK43X3qq

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) September 16, 2024

There are a lot of reasons for the Vikings’ hot start. But really, there are two MVP factors in their undefeated record, through two weeks. First, Sam Darnold looks more like a No. 3 overall draft pick, than he does a 1st round bust. Second, Brian Flores has the defense playing on fire.

Minnesota Vikings defense playing dominant

Depending on down and distance, there is no telling what the Vikings defense is going to throw at an opposing offense, and it makes scheming during the week very difficult for the brilliant offensive minds in the league, like Kyle Shanahan.

For example, the Vikings blitzed more than any other team in the NFL last year, and brought more than four pass rushers at Daniel Jones a bunch, in week 1. It’s all anyone ever talks about, when Minnesota’s defense is brought up. ‘Oh, Brian Flores? Yeah, all that guy does is blitz, blitz, blitz, no matter what.’

Related: Minnesota Vikings Give Justin Jefferson Injury Update

But not in week two. With the San Francisco 49ers in town, Flores was hyper-focused on stopping the run and putting a bunch of bodies in the secondary, when QB Brock Purdy dropped back to pass.

On 3rd downs, they didn’t rush five or more, very often. Instead, they relied on their “NASCAR package” to get pressure on Purdy. That’s is a four-man defensive line made up of all EDGE rushers (Van Ginkel, Greenard, Turner, Pat Jones).

The Vikings defense was unhinged today. This is what it felt like all afternoon.

Line up in a Cover 0 look on 3rd down, eject into a wonky Cover 2.

Purdy has to hang on. Stunt with Jihad Ward earholing the OT and Greenard getting in Purdy's face as he tries to make the throw. pic.twitter.com/PtEZWi6OGp

— Robert Mays (@robertmays) September 15, 2024

Purdy and Shanahan battled rather valiantly, and absolutely got some blows in on Flores and his defense. But in the end, the Niners’ sophomore QB and his ballyhooed head coach were exhausted by the Vikings’ physicality. Mentally, Flores and his crew twisted their football brains into tightly wound pretzels.

Brock Purdy knows how crazy Brian Flores’ schemes are

The 49ers offense finished just 2 of 10, on 3rd down, and that’s because they were in 3rd-and-long a lot. Of the twenty-three 1st downs gained by San Francisco’s offense on Sunday, only four were on the ground. The Minnesota Vikings’ defensive mission on Sunday was to make Brock Purdy beat them, and it worked.

Related: NFL Defense Rankings, After Week Two Sunday

After the game, Brian Flores tapped the 49ers quarterback on the shoulder after the game. A shell-shocked Purdy turned around, shook the defensive coordinator’s hand. He only got in a few words before Flores walked away. The CBS microphones caught them clearly. “Great job today. Your scheme man, it’s crazy.”

"Scheme is crazy." #49ers QB Brock Purdy paid a compliment to #Vikings DC Brian Flores after congratulating Sam Darnold. #FTTB pic.twitter.com/uwrZTnbKOK

— Matt Lively (@mattblively) September 16, 2024

Thanks to two Vikings red zone turnovers, on offense, San Francisco had a chance to win Sunday’s matchup, all the way until the end of the 4th quarter. But had Kevin O’Connell, Sam Darnold and the boys on offense been able to convert those turnovers into scores, of any kind, yesterday would’ve been over before the 4th quarter even started.

As Minnesota sports fans, we are trying our best not to get ahead of ourselves. This state isn’t just known for its lakes. It’s also The Land of “I’m ready to hurt again” Memes. As soon as the sports world starts to turn in our favor, we’re almost always reminded that we can’t have nice things.

Related: Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell Gets Emotional Talking About Sam Darnold

But maybe… just maybe… the Minnesota Vikings are in a much better place than where we expected them to be. Great coaching makes a difference. And so far, both at the head coach and defensive coordinator levels, this team is professional proof of that.

But that’s not how things played out, on the field. Nobody believed in the Vikings, after they stomped on the New York Giants in week one, and oddsmakers took advantage. Sunday’s contest vs the defending Super Bowl runner-ups was all purple, all the time.

Had they not turned the ball over twice in the red zone, the game would have been as good as done, before it ever reached the fourth quarter. Instead, It ended as a one-score 23-17 victory that felt way too close, all the way to the end.

Van Ginkel NEARLY stole this ball on 3rd and 1!

📺: #SFvsMIN on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/f1EmIBm7p9

— NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2024

Here’s what we learned about the Minnesota Vikings, in Sunday’s dub over the San Francisco 49ers.

1. Brian Flores’ 2024 defense is for real

One of the biggest unknowns, entering the 2024 Vikings season, was on defense. Nobody doubted how good of a defensive coordinator Brian Flores was. His head coaching abilities… that’s another question. But, in his second season as Minnesota’s DC, it was impossible to know what his new crew would provide, given all of the fresh faces.

Those questions were answered, in part, during week one when the Vikings held the Giants offense to zero touchdowns. But again, that was a much different team than who was coming to U.S Bank Stadium in week two.

But Flores’ group looked every bit as hungry and active vs the Niners, as they did vs the G-Men. All day long, Brock Purdy and Kyle Shanahan exchanged jabs with the Vikings defense, but over and over again, it was Flores’ crew that came out on top, holding the Niners to just 7 points through three quarters.

ope! ope! ope! @Vikings with a huge INT 😈

📺: #SFvsMIN on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/O2GN2DEXqz

— NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2024

Andrew Van Ginkel (4 TKL, 1 SK, 2 TFL, 1 PD), Blake Cashman (13 TKL, 1 SK, 3 PD) and Patrick Jones Jr (5 TKL, 2 SK) were everywhere, disrupting all of the plans San Fran had offensively. The defense bent, at times, but rarely ever broke.

The same cannot be said for Purdy, who proved why he is a good NFL quarterback. He made huge throws throughout this game and finished with an impressive statline: 28-of-36, 319 yards and 1 touchdown.

Related: Old Friend Picks Vikings to Beat 49ers

But in the end, he couldn’t beat Flores, who stunted just about every attempt the Niners made to score a touchdown, including a 4th quarter drive they needed, in order to keep the game alive.

2. Sam Darnold won’t hold the Minnesota Vikings back

One Minnesota Vikings player who, yet again, proved his worth in week one, was new QB Sam Darnold. After he too came up big in the Big Apple, the NFL world demanded more. Beating up on the worse of the two New York teams wasn’t enough.

So in week two, Sam Darnold had to come out and show them again. And while he may not be the next NFL MVP, or even as good of a quarterback as what we had with Kirk Cousins, the former USC great solidified one thing on Sunday, without a doubt.

Related: 49ers Called Vikings About Justin Jefferson Trade

He is absolutely good enough. The Vikings will need Brian Flores’ defense to continue to play well. They will need Aaron Jones to run successfully, and the OL to stay in-tact. But as long as he has the pieces around him, Sam Darnold will NOT be the reason why the Minnesota Vikings don’t succeed in 2024.

Sam Darnold to Justin Jefferson looking like Cunningham to Moss. pic.twitter.com/AeRkVE8ovN

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 15, 2024

He can make all of the throws, and has plenty of poise. The former No. 3 overall pick proved that again vs the Niners. Not only did Sam go 17-of-26 for 268 yards and a 2 touchdowns, but he made a couple of absolutely beautiful throws, including this one to Justin Jefferson.

And when the Vikings needed him to make a couple of big time plays in the 4th quarter, after the Niners pulled the score within one possession, Darnold did just that, hitting Jalen Nailor on a must-have 3rd and long, then Brandon Powell on another third down, closer to the goalline.

Clutch third down throw from Sam Darnold pic.twitter.com/e7RPP0oOTw

— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) September 15, 2024

We may not be able to count on Sam to carry this team to victory week in, and week out, but he certainly showed everyone this afternoon that he can be that guy, when called upon.

3. Special Teams matter

The final thing we learned from Sunday’s Minnesota Vikings victory is that special teams matters. Often glossed over as an aspect of American football that nobody cares about, we found out this afternoon just how important winning the special teams battle is.

Let’s start with the obvious one. The Vikings’ blocked a punt in the 1st quarter that completely swung early momentum into the home team’s favor. It resulted in a Will Reichard field goal, but the damage went beyond points. From this moment forward, the San Francisco 49ers looked rattled.

BIG punt block for the @Vikings!

📺: #SFvsMIN on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/EyUolJwU9W

— NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2024

But let’s not gloss over Will Reichard’s contribution today. As Minnesota Vikings fans, nobody understands better than we do, just how much of a luxury a knock-down deadeye kicker is for a football team. Yes, both of his field goals on Sunday were chip shots, but that hasn’t always mattered.

Related: Minnesota Vikings Want to Run Up the Score

With Will, though, both kicks went right down the middle, just like they should. So did all three of the extra points he kicked. We are only a couple games into his NFL career, but it’s pretty obvious we have something special in Will Reichard.

When the dust settled on today’s Minnesota Vikings victory, we learned one thing for sure. This team is for real.

His only season with the 49ers resulted in 46 pass attempts, two touchdowns and an interception. This is somewhat of a backstory as the Vikings look to maintain their home dominance over the 49ers.

The defending NFC champs have not won in Minnesota in over three decades. It’s one of the craziest stats heading into NFL Week 2 action. For the Vikings, confidence has to be somewhat high after a blowout win over the lowly New York Giants in their season opener.

San Francisco 49ers’ Deommodore Lenoir Trolls Sam Darnold

Considered a first-round draft bust of the New York Jets from back in 2018, Sam Darnold performed well in his Vikings regular-season debut. The former USC star completed 19-of-24 passes for 208 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the 28-6 road win.

In no way does this mean that Darnold has the respect of his former 49ers teammates. One actually went as far to troll him big time heading into Sunday’s game. Lenoir went against Darnold in practice throughout all of last season.

The former Oregon standout and rising star touched on that in speaking with the media days ahead of Sunday’s game. He did not hold back. “Me and Sam, we just had this connection. He liked to throw the ball to me,” Lenoir said. Man, did he really have to do Sam Darnold dirty like that? Sometimes, things are better left unsaid.

Deommodore Lenoir on his matchup with Sam Darnold:

“I think I win that for sure. I believe I win. Me and Sam, we have this connection, this connection where he likes to throw the ball to me… This week I’m coming, he knows it.”

🎥: @KNBR pic.twitter.com/bbaOMB9LFV

— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) September 12, 2024

Prove it day for Minnesota Vikings new QB

Sam Darnold has caught strays throughout his otherwise pedestrian career. But he’s now being given an opportunity to prove his worth as a starter-caliber quarterback with rookie J.J. McCarthy sidelined for the season.

As for Sunday’s matchup, it is not going to be easy pickings for Darnold and Co. San Francisco held Aaron Rodgers to 167 passing yards in Monday night’s blowout win over the New York Jets.

Read More: NFL Expert Thinks Sam Darnold Can Carry Minnesota Vikings to the Playoffs

Lenoir also played a role in Rodgers’ only interception, tipping a pass intended for Garrett Wilson. He yielded a mere 75.2 QB rating when targeted a season ago. As a unit, the 49ers’ defense gave up 20 passing touchdowns against 22 interceptions.

Yes, Kevin O’Connell & Co. came out in week one and absolutely destroyed the New York Giants. Nobody can take that away from us. But the defending Super Bowl runner-ups are a far superior team to the G-Men.

They proved as much in week one, when they invited the better New York football team to the west coast, just to stomp them in front of the entire world, on Monday Night Football. Can the Vikings hang with the Niners? How about a victory and 2-0 start to the 2024 season?

Old friend Kevin Harlan on the call for Minnesota Vikings vs San Francisco 49ers

It won’t be easy, but the purple will be at home, in front of an absolutely rabid U.S. Bank Stadium crowd for the first time this season. Plus, San Fran may be without defending Offensive Player of the Year, Christian McCaffrey.

But no matter what happens on the field, fans can be happy about one thing, come noon on Sunday. There will be no complaints about the TV broadcast, on CBS.

The Minnesota Vikings vs San Francisco 49ers TV play-by-play announcer will be none other than old friend, and future HOF voice, Kevin Harlan, the best in the business. Former NFL QB Trent Green will be on color commentary.

Game announcers for Week 2 of the @NFLonCBS, with a national doubleheader highlighted by Bengals-Chiefs pic.twitter.com/I6bQ0BRWL4

— CBS Sports PR (@CBSSportsGang) September 9, 2024

Welcome back to Minnesota, Mr. Harlan

Not only is Harlan the best in the business, but the kids may not know how important he is to the history of Minnesota sports. One of Harlan’s earliest big time jobs was as the every-game play-by-play voice of the Timberwolves, from the time they came into the NBA (1989), all the way until 1998.

Related: George Kittle Spills Beans on Christian McCaffrey’s Injury Status vs Vikings

As a kid who was born the same year as the Timberwolves, my earliest basketball fan memories are watching Kevin Garnett and Stephon Marbury, narrated by Kevin Harlan. Back then, he was a local treasure. Now, he’s a national one. Any time we land him on a Minnesota sports call, it brings half of the fanbase back to that decade when he was (kind of) one of us.

He is one of the most recognisable voices in the NBA, but before he gained national acclaim on CBS & TNT, Kevin Harlan belonged to Timberwolves fans.

This is a fun look back at his 9 seasons doing play-by-play in Minnesota. pic.twitter.com/63Up00ZUNV

— Hoops Nostalgia (@HoopsNostalgia) May 22, 2024

Related: NFC Wildcard Round Proved Vikings Need to Bring Kirk Cousins Back

All game long, Love looked like the next coming of Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers, probably a combination of the two. All Minnesota Vikings fans could do was look on and wonder what the next decade is going to be like if that really does come to fruition.

Jordan Love ain't real
pic.twitter.com/99puEk9Djn

— Eli Berkovits (@BookOfEli_NFL) January 21, 2024

Kyle Shanahan wishing he had Kirk Cousins instead of Brock Purdy tonight

Meanwhile, the San Francisco 49ers were riding the struggle bus offensively all game long and the problem was clear. It was Brock Purdy. He couldn’t hang onto the football or hit wide open receivers.

And it didn’t matter how many YPC Christian McCaffrey was averaging, Kyle Shanahan is who he is… and that’s a pass-happy play-caller, just like everyone who has fallen from the Shanahan tree, including Vikings head coach, Kevin O’Connell.

Name your Shanahan disciple, McVay, Shanahan, O’Connell… they all love to call passing plays, no matter how well their running backs are playing. And on Saturday night, Brock Purdy was not good enough to operate that type of offense.

Brock Purdy facing his first adversity in WEEKS pic.twitter.com/KFzOyVRPSl

— IKE Packers Podcast (@IKE_Packers) January 21, 2024

Which brings us back to the Minnesota Vikings, who are getting ready to sit down at the negotiating table with their quarterback since 2018, Kirk Cousins. In case you haven’t heard, there’s one head coach in the NFL who might like Kirk more than KOC and his name rhymes with Smile Kanahan.

Read More: Kyle Shanahan Explains His Love For Kirk Cousins in 49ers Press Conference

He coaches the same 49ers team whose quarterback nearly lost them another playoff game Saturday night. For a lot of this game, it sure felt like San Francisco’s season was going to be over and that they’d be on the hunt for a QB who could get them over the hump. A QB like Kirk Cousins.

Jordan Love goes full Brett Favre…

But then, the unpredictable world of sports took over and some weird shit happened. That’s why we love sports, right? The 49ers drove down and finally took the lead, late in the 4th quarter with just 1:06 remaining in the game. It felt like the moment Jordan Love would be knighted as the next great NFL quarterback.

Everything leading up to the Packers last drive would have made any right-minded fan feel that way. Instead, Love went full 2009-10 NFC Championship Game Brett Favre across the body, “It can’t end like this” and threw a game-sealing interception that ended Green Bay’s season and kept Mike Shanahan and the 49ers away from Kirk Cousins for at least one more week.

It’s crazy how similar these throws are. I’m getting PTSD from it. pic.twitter.com/qvXkI2LxbF

— 10,000 Takes (@10k_Takes) January 21, 2024

So instead of worrying about the San Francisco 49ers coming for Kirk Cousins, we can celebrate Jordan Love not yet being what Green Bay Packers fans thought he was. Sports have a funny way of surprising you like that.

Related: Minnesota Vikings Can Sign Cousins, Jefferson and Hunter Without Breaking Salary Cap Bank

Nick Bosa rides struggle bus vs Christian Darrisaw

But, the 26-year-old younger Bosa brother is off to a rather slow start in 2023, recording just 2.5 sacks and 19 pressures on the season through 7 games. Unfortunately for Nick Bosa, being dominated (downright embarrassed at times) by Darrisaw on Monday Night Football with the the entire non-baseball sports world watching probably did not help his confidence.

Related: Addison Arrives; Cousins Balls Out; Defense Steps Up: Vikings Save Season vs 49ers

.@Vikings @chrisdarrisaw71 is playing great football…This PUNCH is textbook. #skol #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/rSsRStXmBz

— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) October 24, 2023

How good was Darrisaw on Monday night? According to PFF, he allowed just two pressures on 44 opportunities in pass protection vs the 49ers, good for a 97% effectiveness rate. His grades for the week all rank in the top-7 among offensive tackles and his overall grade was 6th among o-linemen.

Darrisaw is best of the best

But last night wasn’t a surprise for any football fan not living under a rock. Christian Darrisaw has allowed just one sack and 11 pressures all season. Not only is the 24-year-old the highest rated left tackle in the league, according to PFF, but he is the highest-rated offensive linemen too.

Rest of Minnesota Vikings offensive line good, not great on MNF

Christian isn’t the only member of the Minnesota Vikings offensive line who played well vs the Niners. Hell, Kirk Cousins took ZERO sacks on the night. But without Darrisaw’s dominance, the night may have unfolded much differently.

Related: Just Admit It: Kirk Cousins is an Elite NFL Quarterback

(RG) Ezra Cleveland, (LG) Dalton Risner and (RT) Brian O’Neill all allowed 4 QB pressures each and (C) Garrett Bradbury produced one of his lowest graded games of the season, producing an ugly 53.3 overall grade dragged down by a downright disgusting 41.1 pass block grade. The entire OL has been much better in 2023, than in past years, but they are nothing without Darrisaw holding down the left edge.

There were a lot of questions surrounding Darrisaw, when Rick Spielman & Co drafted him 23rd overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, especially when he started his career injured and unable to play. But those doubts are all but dead and the Virginia Tech alum has cemented himself as one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Cam Bynum and Jordan Addison had their NFL coming out parties and the defense stepped up to force 4 takeaways, which helped hold the Niners’ offense to just 17 points. In a close contest, though, the difference between the two teams was at quarterback.

Related: Minnesota Vikings Defense Rankings 2023 – Week 7

Kirk Cousins was dialed in all game pic.twitter.com/bZeoCDb8yq

— Bussin' With The Boys (@BussinWTB) October 24, 2023

Kirk Cousins is/was/will be the difference for Vikings

Brock Purdy looked impressive early and he’ll probably be a good quarterback for a long time. But when the big moment came last night, he threw the game to Minnesota’s defense.

Kirk Cousins, on the other hand, looked absolutely elite for 60 minutes. Controversy hit early and often for the Vikings offense vs the Niners, which has happened a lot this season. Just for starters, they were forced to kick two field goals from inside the 20-yard line (one from inside the 5) and Kirk threw an interception on the first drive of the game.

Those are not usually ingredients to a winning strategy. But throughout Monday’s contest, one thing remained constant no matter the situation. When the Minnesota Vikings needed Kirk Cousins to step up, with the lights bright vs arguably the best team in the NFC, he did. Over and over again.

Kirk Cousins on 3rd down vs. the 49ers:

9/12
182 yards
2 TDs
156.3 passer rating

🚀 pic.twitter.com/Q8W4oX6VPV

— PFF MIN Vikings (@PFF_Vikings) October 24, 2023

Early, middle, late and especially in those same big moments, he willed his team to 1st downs and maintained drives at all costs, tossing footballs to whichever eligible receiver was open to catch them and bringing stability that only a handful of teams get from their starting quarterback on a week in week out basis.

The more you watch Kirko play lately, now deep into his mid-30s, the more you realize he is one of the elite quarterbacks currently playing in the NFL. His numbers are near the top of every QB category and, if you watch Vikings games regularly, the eye test vindicates those statistics.

We can argue semantics and discuss how good or not good Cousins has been during his 11.5 seasons in the NFL. If you want to talk about who you’d draft, if picking a QB to start your franchise the next 3, 5 or 10 years, he obviously drops down the list, just based on age. But those debates will forever rage on.

Related: Vikings Have No Plans to Trade Kirk Cousins but Continue to Take Calls on Others

It’s getting harder and harder to argue, however that — up through week 7 in the 2023-24 season — Kirk Cousins is a top-5 quarterback in the NFL right now and he should 100% be one of the favorites for MVP, especially now that his team is back in the playoff race (2nd in the NFC North, 0.5 games back of final NFC wildcard).

The Minnesota Vikings have the hardest part of their schedule behind them and play the division rival Green Bay Packers, in Lambeau Field, this coming Sunday. If Kirk continues to ball out and Minnesota crawls back to .500, the Kirko for MVP hype train is gonna leave the station and never return.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

CAM CALLED GAME

📺: @ESPNNFL pic.twitter.com/3bU5oPMFPb

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 24, 2023

Minnesota Vikings defense helps save season

You may have thought Minnesota needed to play perfect football, if they were going to beat possibly the best team in the NFC, in front of the entire nation. But the Vikings were far from that on Monday night, starting with yet another turnover on their first drive of the game.

This time, it was via interception that Charvarius Ward wrestled away from Jordan Addison to immediately flip momentum in the Niners favor. But, in what ended up being foreshadowing for what would happen most of the night, the mistake did not come back to bite the Vikings.

On the ensuing San Francisco drive, the defense forced a Christian McCaffrey fumble and the purple proceeded to score the next (and first) 10 points of the game.

Vikings respond with a big play on defense #Skol

📺: #SFvsMIN on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/riDUhbzXkK pic.twitter.com/CGPETnp9SF

— NFL (@NFL) October 24, 2023

Touchdowns? Who needs them? The Vikings settled for field goals all night, including multiple from deep territory where the analytics probably said that keeping the offense on the field and going for the 1st down would have been the better option.

Kevin O’Connell’s offense was also forced to kick two field goals from inside the redzone, one from inside the 5-yard line. But again, unlike what we are used to seeing as Vikings fans, the mistakes never really came back to bite them. When needed, the defense made plays, including three interceptions and big stop, after big stop, throughout the contest.

Kirk Cousins balls out

It’s time to stop doubting Kirk Cousins. He proved, yet again on Monday night, that he is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL right now. With Justin Jefferson watching from the sideline, Kirk Cousins lit the star in Jordan Addison, who finished the contest with 7 catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns. The rookie wide receiver now sits second league-wide in TD receptions (6), behind only Tyreek Hill (7).

JORDAN ADDISON IS UNBELIEVABLE! pic.twitter.com/WQu7fgYk7j

— vikesinsider (@vikesinsider) October 24, 2023

Tight end, TJ Hockenson found his hands too, hauling in 11 catches for 86 yards of his own. But, Addison and Hockenson both sat out of this game for about a quarter apiece. When they weren’t available, Kirk found Brandon Powell (4 receptions, 64 yards) or KJ Osborn (5 receptions, 47 yards).

In other words, it didn’t matter who his receivers were. If you were eligible to catch a pass and wearing purple on Monday night at U.S. Bank Stadium, Kirk Cousins was going to find you.

When the dust finally settled and Minnesota walked away with a victory, Cousins finished 35 of 45 (78%) for 378 yards and 2 touchdowns. Some of his throws were ridiculous. Some of his readings and mind games with the defense were next level. But some plays were just downright elite.

Related: Vikings Have No Plans to Trade Kirk Cousins but Continue to Take Calls on Others

Like this one, late in the 4th quarter on 3rd down… where he ducks underneath what looked like a sure sack and arose out of the collapsed pocket with a beautiful, feathery touch pass right into the arms of Jordan Addison for a drive, and possibly game-saving, 1st down.

Kirk calm in the pocket.

📺: #SFvsMIN on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/riDUhbzXkK pic.twitter.com/5UbDPIDJq6

— NFL (@NFL) October 24, 2023

We can argue semantics — like what Kirk may or may not have done, in the past; who he once was or was not, both with Washington and since arriving in Minnesota — but… if you are paying attention right now, up through week 8 in the 2023-24 season, one thing should be clear: Kirk Cousins is playing like a top-5 quarterback and he is the most important player to success this year.

Here come the Vikings…

Suddenly, the Minnesota Vikings are 3-4 and charging up the rankings in the NFC North. Kwesi’s trade deadline plans seem to be on hold. As Kevin Garnett kind of once said, anything (seems) possible…

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan