On Nov. 13, the Minnesota Vikings announced that Kirk Cousins will be starting against the Green Bay Packers for the Week 10 game on Nov. 15. Moreover, along with this news, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell shared an update on how the coaching staff is preparing him for this game.
While Cousins knows and has been part of the Vikings’ offense in the past, he last played in Minnesota in 2023, so there are bound to be changes in the last three years since he’s been away. As a result, O’Connell isn’t planning to overwhelm Cousins, who arrived midweek on Nov. 10.
“He believes wholeheartedly in what we do and his role in moving the team,” O’Connell told reporters on Nov. 13. “So really, it’s about getting the plan working with him and getting him the plan in real time, in many ways, play by play, situation by situation, and then letting him digest it and getting back together and talking through things post-install, post-reps in practice.
“We’ll spend some time together [on Nov. 13] and use every moment we have up until the game. But I’m really looking forward to seeing him play. Though it’s something we’ve always known about him, the way he threw the football this week was a really cool thing to see.”
KOC Testing Kirk Cousins’ Memory of Minnesota’s Offense
Although O’Connell isn’t looking to overwhelm Cousins for this game against the Packers, the Vikings head coach is testing the veteran QB’s memory to see if he remembers certain plays.
“There’s been a few times where I think he thinks I’m nuts because we’ll even install plays in front of the unit, and I’ll be like, ‘Kirk, you remember 2022, this game, that third drive?'” O’Connell added. “And he kind of looks at you like you’re insane. But I’m like, do you remember? And he does. He definitely does.
“But no, that’s the cool thing about coaching him, and what I really, really enjoyed so much about coming here in 2022 and ’23 was that it’s not just the plays. It’s not just the throws and the many, many plays that he made.”
Packers HC on Facing Vikings Defense in Week 10
Meanwhile, the Green Bay offense will have their hands full going up against the Minnesota defense, who will have to deal with the fact that linebacker Blake Cashman won’t be playing in this game.
On Nov. 12, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur spoke with the media and shared high thoughts on facing the Vikings’ defense.
“Just look at what they’ve done consistently, week in and week out,” LaFleur told reporters. “It’s a struggle for every offense to go out there and score points against them, let alone move the ball consistently. I think they do a great job of getting teams behind the sticks.
“There are more third-and-long situations than I feel like I’ve ever seen at this point in the year, in many cases throughout the entire season. We’re halfway through, and they do a great job of applying pressure and forcing you to make mistakes. That’s why it’s so important for us to play a clean game.”
Vikings Share Intriguing Kirk Cousins Update Before Packers Game