You like that! You really like that!
Kirk Cousins likes it. Stefon Diggs likes it. Vikings fans love it even if they didn’t love either of the purple’s most impressive playmakers in an explosive 38-20 win over Philadephia in a crucial tilt of 3-2 NFC North teams at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday.
The much-maligned Cousins completed 22-of-27 passes for 333 yards, 4 touchdowns and one interception for his second consecutive near-perfect game. He registered a passer rating of just over 138 (out of a possible 158.3) for the second consecutive week (both wins) after his worst game as a pro in a 16-6 loss at Chicago two weeks ago.
Diggs — who after not receiving the ball in that game skipped a practice, missed meetings, was fined $200,000 by the team and didn’t deny he wanted to be traded in a huddle with media — had one of his most electric days as a pro.
The speedy wideout from Maryland caught 7 Cousins zings for 167 yards and 3 touchdowns of 62, 51, and 11 yards — the first two helping build a 24-3 first-half lead and the last helping seal the win after Philly had cut the lead to 7 late in the 3rd quarter.
Minnesota was ranked 29th in passing yards per game, but picked apart an Eagles secondary missing its top two cornerbacks.
Adam Thielen hauled in 5 passes for 67 yards and an early touchdown. There were a couple Kyle Rudolph sightings for once (but he still has yet to catch a TD) while Dalvin Cook was mostly a decoy on big play-action passes, finishing with 16 carries for 41 yards against the NFL’s No. 1 rush defense.
Eagles QB Carson Wentz was 26-for-40 for 306 yards, 2 TD and 1 INT with plenty of fans from his nearby alma mater North Dakota State showing up in their bright yellow Bison jerseys and shirts.
South Dakota State alumnus Dallas Goedert, who grew up a few hours away in Britton, SD, caught five passes for 48 yards while Alshon Jeffrey gave the Eagles hope most of the afternoon with 10 catches for 76 yards and a score. The Eagles rushed for 108 yards on 22 carries.
At 4-2, the Vikings have a 64 percent chance of making the playoffs, based off the success rate of teams with 4-2 starts who have made the playoffs since the 12-team postseason format started in 1990.
The Eagles chances are now 36 percent at 3-3, based off that metric.
With a much-needed win, Minnesota will travel to Detroit to face a Lions team saltier than recent years. The Lions host the Packers on Monday night at 7:00 on KWSN. 98.1 FM and 1230-AM.
The Vikings still have some tall tasks in front of them: At Kansas City, at Dallas, at Seattle, at Los Angeles, and finishing the regular season slate with home clashes against the Packers and Bears.
You can hear all of the Vikings games exclusively in the Sioux Falls area on KWSN, 98.1 FM and 1230-AM.
Sports Talk with Craig & John will break down this win on Monday from 3-6 p.m. The Voice of the Vikings Paul Allen joins the show every Friday at 4:40 p.m., and Allen’s “X’s and O’s” show with head coach Mike Zimmer airs every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. on KWSN.
