Complain about not getting the ball and you shall receive it.
A week after he publicly criticized Minnesota’s offensive approach for being one-dimensional and quarterback Kirk Cousins for not throwing to him enough nor being accurate when he did in a 16-6 loss at Chicago, Vikings receiver Adam Thielen caught 7 passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-10 win over the New York Giants in which Minnesota led the whole game and controlled most of it.
Cousins was 22-for-27 for 306 yards, 2 TD and a 138.6 rating (158.3 is considered perfect), one week after his worst performance as a pro.
Dalvin Cook tallied 215 total yards, including 132 yards rushing on 21 carries and 83 yards receiving.
The Vikings defense held the banged-up Giants offense to 212 total yards. New York (2-3) was without running back Saquon Barkley, last season’s Rookie of the Year.
The purple also picked apart a Giants defense missing its top three linebackers due to injury.
Cousins awkwardly apologized to Thielen on the QB’s weekly radio show a couple days after the Pro Bowl wideout’s post-game remarks following a 2 receptions for 6 yards outing.
Perhaps Stefon Diggs and Kyle Rudolph should also call out Cousins and appear on his show.
Diggs caught 3 passes for 44 yards a couple days after the Vikings fined him $200,000 for missing practice and meetings on Wednesday, which was followed by a press conference Thursday in which Diggs would not deny he wants a trade and is unhappy in the offense.
Rudolph, who like Diggs and Thielen signed a new deal in the offseason that made him a top 10 player at his position, caught one pass for 4 yards and still has yet to score a touchdown in the season’s first five games.
The Vikings (3-2) return home next Sunday to host the Eagles at Noon on KWSN, 98.1 FM and 1230-AM.
Hear plenty of Vikings talk all week on KWSN’s Sports Talk with Craig & John, 3-6 p.m. weekdays.
The Voice of the Vikings Paul Allen joins Craig & John every Friday at 4:40.
