The Minnesota Vikings‘ quarterback situation is back under scrutiny following their Week 8 loss to the Detroit Lions on Nov. 1. The Vikings had largely avoided questions about their play at quarterback while continuing to find ways to win. Still, their latest defeat has brought those concerns back into focus.
The defense held Detroit to just 19 points, but the offense couldn’t do enough to take advantage. Kyler Murray completed 17 of 29 passes for 210 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, finishing with an 89.7 passer rating.
Murray also contributed on the ground, rushing four times for 35 yards, including a 22-yard run. However, his combined production through the air and on the ground wasn’t enough to get the Minnesota Vikings past Detroit.
Amid the Vikings suffering their first loss of the season and the offense unable to start trending upward, former NFL QB Chase Daniel believes Minnesota needs to be calling the Las Vegas Raiders for Kirk Cousins.
“The talk about a trade for Kirk Cousins is going to continue,” Daniel said in a Nov. 1 video from “Bussin’ With The Boys.” “If you’re the Vikings, you need to get back in the race and seriously consider looking into Kirk Cousins.
“Why wouldn’t you be checking into the Raiders and Kirk Cousins? Kirk is absolutely balling and had an amazing game against the Jets. Your defense cannot carry you the entire year. Yes, I agree that Kyler played well in the second half.”
Kirk Cousins Would Offset Trading Away J.J. McCarthy
Moreover, Daniels believes that landing Cousins would offset the decision to have traded J.J. McCarthy to the New York Giants in the middle of the season. So far, McCarthy looks to be the savior for the Giants as their hopes to win the NFC East are alive and well.
“You traded away J.J. McCarthy, who’s now starting for the New York Giants and has them in first place in the NFC East,” Daniels added. “Let that sink in. I think you have to be backchanneling and finding out, ‘Hey, is this even an option? What would this look like?’ Kirk Cousins, come home to the Minnesota Vikings. I think it would be awesome.”
Mike Florio on Vikings QB Situation After Week 8 Loss
With Minnesota’s QB situation back in the national media spotlight, NBC Sports NFL insider Mike Florio believes something has to change under center for the Vikings.
“There’s been so much talk about the Vikings trading for a running back,” Florio said in a Nov. 1 video on the NFL on NBC’s YouTube channel. “Maybe they should think about trading for a quarterback. Maybe they should think about switching to Carson Wentz. I don’t know, because I know that Kyler Murray, because of the concussion he suffered in Week 1, was behind. He was still learning.
“He’s still getting up to speed. At some point, though, you have to say, ‘All right, you’re accountable. You’ve got to get this done. We’ve got a championship-caliber defense, and we’ve got an offense that just needs to hold its own.’ The run game was almost nonexistent for the Vikings today.”
Vikings Receive Strong Kirk Cousins Message After Loss to Lions