At the 2026 NFL trade deadline, the Minnesota Vikings made the bold move to acquire Kirk Cousins in a deal with the Las Vegas Raiders. They sent a 2027 third-round pick for Cousins, hoping he can fix their struggling offense.
Will it work? Considering how poor the QB play has been, it would be a bit of a surprise if this offense didn’t dramatically improve. However, the addition of Cousins doesn’t exactly fix all of the issues the team is dealing with.
As ESPN’s Kevin Seifert highlighted before the team’s game against the Green Bay Packers in Week 10, the Vikings still have an offensive line problem. This is an issue even Cousins won’t be able to fix.
Vikings have a QB problem that even Kirk Cousins might not fix
“Vikings QBs this season have been pressured an NFL-high 46.9% of the time. Some of that has been the result of QB indecision, but the scheme has also struggled to adjust to stunts and keep pass rushers out of the backfield,” Seifert writes.
This is a massive issue for the Vikings. 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.
But considering this is an offensive line statistic, there is only so much Cousins can do when it comes to getting the ball out quickly.
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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.
For Cousins’ Week 10 return to the Vikings, there are plenty of things worth paying very close attention to. But when it comes to overall success of this offense, seeing how this offensive line protects Cousins might be the most important thing to monitor this week.
