Throughout the course of the season, the Minnesota Vikings have struggled substantially without a long list of star playmakers. Without starting quarterback Kirk Cousins, the team has managed to squeak by with perennial backup quarterback Josh Dobbs. Even without their usual repertoire, the team has managed to retain the 6-seed in the NFC. Without the typical fire power that Minnesota usually brings to the table however, this team has been suffering far too many low-scoring losses than it should be.
League’s Best WR Returns to the Vikings
Luckily for Minnesota, the day has finally come that all of the fans have been waiting for. That’s right: wide receiver Justin Jefferson has officially been clearly for the Week 14 matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders. Somewhere out there, an analyst just jumped Minnesota fifteen spots in their power rankings as the LSU product makes an explosive difference on this offense.
#Vikings All-Pro WR Justin Jefferson is officially off the injury report and set to make his return Sunday at Las Vegas.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 8, 2023
Without Jefferson, Minnesota has dropped two games in a row: first against an up-and-coming Broncos team led by a revitalized Russell Wilson and then an embarrassing loss to the Chicago Bears where Minnesota scored only 10 points in the contest. There has been substantial conversation that Head Coach Kevin O’Connell wouldn’t even start Dobbs following the bye because of how embarrassing that loss was within the NFC North.
Where can the Vikings go from here?
With Justin Jefferson, the possibilities are truly endless for what Minnesota can do from here. The Vikings have the opportunity to play the division leader Detroit Lions twice as the season wraps up and are therefore not technically eliminated as a candidate for NFC North Division Champions.
One huge thing that benefited Minnesota from their nightmare loss of former Offensive Player of the Year Jefferson was the emerges of Jordan Addison. Addison was a first round pick out of the University of Southern California in the 2023 NFL Draft and up until Jefferson’s injury was good for about one explosive reception per game.
Now, Addison is fully immersed in the offense and Minnesota has two elite receivers to utilize plus an excellent slot receiver not in K.J. Osborn. The talent that is available to Minnesota now in the passing game makes one believe that the team no longer needs a gunslinger like Cousins and a ball distributor like Jimmy Garoppolo might be the perfect choice for the team to bring in next offseason.
While many fans have enjoyed Kirk Cousins tenure in Minnesota, he has certainly established the fact that he is the bottom of the ‘good’ category at the quarterback position. Cousins will most likely never lead this team to super bowl victory as a deep playoff run might be his ceiling. The possibility also exists for Minnesota to draft a quarterback in the upcoming draft and attempt to return this team to a perennial powerhouse.
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