For At Least One Week Minnesota’s New Math Equation Looked Correct
Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images
In the 2023 season opener, Patrick Mahomes threw for a mere 226 yards and a game-changing pick-six en route to a sloppy loss to the Detroit Lions. Three days later, the Washington Commanders scored a big 20-16 opening victory at home against the Arizona Cardinals.
By the time February rolled around, Kansas City was hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, complete with Taylor Swift dancing under confetti, while Washington had already fired everyone and was preparing to make the No. 2 pick. Week 1 results, a season does not make.
All that said and recognized, it’s more than okay for Minnesota Vikings fans to be in celebration mode after their opening weekend. Not only did their favorite team throttle the New York Giants, but their former quarterback put on a pumpkin-like performance in his debut in Atlanta. For at least one week, Minnesota’s new math equation equaled a bright outlook.
In addition to polarizing the state with his play over the last six seasons, Kirk Cousins was also able to divide Minnesota with his departure. While half of the fan base lauded the move as a much-needed change, the other half decried the idiocy of the front office, believing they would not be able to do better.
While many debated the former signal-caller’s on-the-field numbers, the true problem was always the numbers in his contract. Kirk earned an amount of money that kept him consistently over the threshold of 12% of the team’s salary cap. This is important, as in the last two-plus decades of the Salary Cap Era, only two people have won a Super Bowl while earning above that number. Tom Brady once, and Mahomes once.
After two years of a competitive rebuild, Cousins left for Atlanta to find the $50 million Kwesi Adofo-Mensah wasn’t willing to give him. Meanwhile, the Vikings opted to grab the $10 million Sam Darnold, a rookie QB in J.J. McCarthy, and to squirrel away a bunch of money for the future.
Immediately after Cousins’ departure, Minnesota went on a spending spree, bringing in the journeyman Darnold, Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Aaron Jones, Blake Cashman, Shaq Griffin, and eventually Stephon Gilmore. Yesterday in the season opener, all of the above balled out.
Darnold had one of the best performances of his career. Pro Football Focus gave the journeyman quarterback an 88.1 grade, second to only Brock Purdy. Darnold’s passing grade (86.2) eclipsed everyone except for Derek Carr. The last time Darnold logged a better performance was Week 16 in 2018, his rookie season. That is, back when people still believed in Darnold’s potential.
Now, that belief is coming back, and it’s flowing from people who know what a good quarterback looks like. “I saw Justin [Jefferson’s] face after [Sunday’s 99-yard touchdown] drive,” Kevin O’Connell told ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. “I think he felt pretty darn good about who is throwing him the football.”
SAM DARNOLD DEEP SHOT TO JUSTIN JEFFERSON #skol pic.twitter.com/KoUOQpV8gZ
— SuperHawkeyeFan (@superhawkeyefan) September 8, 2024
And why shouldn’t he? Darnold’s first pass to J.J. — a deep ball to get Minnesota from their 10-yard line to past midfield — was incredible. To hit a wide receiver exactly in stride like that, without making him slow down or dive forward is far more difficult than No. 14 made it look. Darnold may not have a good track record, but he certainly has a lot of arm talent that he’s ready to show off.
On defense, Van Ginkel was at home under his former head coach, Flores, making splash plays all over the field and breaking the game open with an incredible pick-six.
Andrew Van Ginkel #Vikings Debut:
1 sack
3 tackles
1 interception
1 touchdown
2 defensive stops
1 quarterback hurry
90.6 overall grade (5th)
95.9 coverage grade (1st) pic.twitter.com/o5x5cEdvzc— vikesinsider (@vikesinsider) September 9, 2024
He wasn’t the only newcomer to boost a defense that earned the NFL’s second-best PFF grade on Sunday. Greenard anchored a front four that sacked Daniel Jones four times. Cashman made three stops himself and was a standout on the NFL’s best-performing team against the run. Gilmore and Griffin helped stabilize a defensive backfield that hasn’t looked that capable in seasons.
Meanwhile, down in ATL, Kirk and his new team still had a chance despite an abysmal performance through three quarters. But with the money on the line, Cousins dropped back and threw a clutch interception right to the Steelers.
Kirk Cousins: 4 years $180 million
Sell the franchise right now pic.twitter.com/Tgs6ujWOod
— Nick Perkins (@NickyPerkss) September 8, 2024
Oh, how sweet it was. The quarterback math believers won, and won huge, in Week 1. And yeah, maybe it’s just one game and maybe neither side of the ball can keep it up. But maybe it’s more?
Perhaps KOC flourishes without the constant need to support an incredibly particular quarterback. Maybe the last two first-rounders, Jordan Addison and Dallas Turner, pair well with these new free agents and build a foundation for this team to soar. Even if they don’t make the playoffs in 2024, the Vikings are heading toward next offseason as a team that has a ton of weapons on both sides of the ball and $75 million in cap space. Maybe, just maybe, finally stepping away from the wrong side of the NFL’s losing equation will propel the Vikings into a real Super Bowl window.
Or maybe not. After all, it was just Week 1.
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