GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Vikings are back at .500, after they beat the Packers 24-10 for their third straight win on Sunday and got their first victory at Lambeau Field since 2020. They came out of the game with serious concerns, though.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins was quickly ruled out with a right ankle injury after he stepped up in the pocket on a third-and-19 in the fourth quarter. Kenny Clark sacked Cousins on the play, and Cousins limped to the sideline unable to put any weight on his right foot after his ankle appeared to buckle when he tried to step forward. After a quick examination in the medical tent, the Vikings called for a cart to take Cousins to the locker room and ruled him out.
Why it happened: The Vikings (4-4) built a 24-3 lead — their biggest at Lambeau Field since Brett Favre’s return in 2009 — as their defense held the Packers (2-5) without a first down for the first 26 minutes of the game. Early in the third quarter, Josh Metellus ripped a pass away from Jayden Reed for an interception, and Cousins hit Jordan Addison out of the backfield for a touchdown on the next play. The Packers’ season-long run of futility on offense helped the Vikings build a lead they didn’t relinquish even after backup quarterback Jaren Hall lost the ball on a strip sack during his first series.
What it means: Even though the Vikings are back in the playoff race, little else matters in the big picture beyond Cousins’ status. If he is lost for an extended period of the season — in what could be the Vikings’ second major ankle injury at Lambeau Field in 2023 after Brian O’Neill sustained an avulsion fracture on New Year’s Day — the Vikings would either have to turn things over to Hall, go to Sean Mannion or scramble for a quarterback on the open market, either with a deal before Tuesday’s trade deadline or with a look at a free agent.
Play of the game: The Vikings dropped eight into coverage on a third-and-9 in the third quarter when Love threw deep for Reed. They’d prepared for the Packers’ downfield shots all week, and Metellus made an impressive play to tear the ball away from Reed before returning it to the Packers’ 20. On the next play, Addison released out of the backfield to beat Jaire Alexander in coverage for a TD that put the Vikings up 21 points.
Turning point: Cousins’ calf appeared to bulge when he stepped forward in the pocket on his final play of the day. The speed with which the Vikings ruled Cousins out, after a brief examination in the medical tent, suggested a major injury, and the Packers blocked Greg Joseph’s field goal on the next play. The Vikings kept their lead at 14 points even after Hall’s strip sack, thanks to a goal-line stand, but Green Bay had chances to come back and tied the game after the stunning turn that put Cousins out of a game with an injury for the first time in his six years with the Vikings.
Next up: at Falcons, Nov. 5, noon