Kirk Cousins Receives Bold Take on Vikings Impact

The Minnesota Vikings (6-2) can say they have done everything they could to build a championship contender after the trade deadline. The Vikings went out and traded for MVP candidate quarterback Kirk Cousins.

Minnesota has now taken a third swing for the fence in adding Cousins after signing Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz in the offseason. Some are wondering if the addition is going to be enough to see the team realize its high goals.

Matt Sullivan of The Sporting News discussed the Vikings' worst fear: Even Cousins may not be enough to cure Minnesota's dysfunction on offense. Here's some of what Sullivan had to share on why adding Cousins might not be enough to make the offense good enough for a playoff run.

"An offensive line that cannot protect the quarterback is going to have a hard time moving the ball, let alone contending for a Super Bowl like the Vikings are vying for this season.

Carson Wentz and Kyler Murray weren't playing great for the Vikings, and Cousins should help lower these pressure numbers a little bit. ... There is only so much Cousins can do when it comes to getting the ball out quickly.

There might not be a bigger question in Week 10, for Cousins' debut back with the Vikings, than if the offensive line can hold up against this Packers defense. While Micah Parsons is not yet back, the Vikings are still facing a tough defense, and it's not going to be easy to keep Cousins clean. Obviously, with a better quarterback on the field, the offense should improve.

But if this offensive line continues to struggle, and they continue to let up pressure at the highest rate in the NFL, this offense might not make the massive improvements expected of them after the Cousins trade."

The kicker with the caution over the Vikings offensive line is that Minnesota now has a quarterback who can anticipate and counterpunch presnap against various blitzes and pressures. Cousins has seen several if not every pressure look in his 15 seasons in the NFL.

In addition to changing protections, Cousins knows where to go with the football and when. He can anticipate pressure and make the necessary throws.

Will Cousins be enough to make Minnesota a great offense? That seems unlikely.

Still, it's more than possible that the Vikings could have a functional offense with Cousins. With defensive coordinator Brian Flores' defense, that's really all they need.