The Kevin O’Connell Era got off to a rousing start with a 23-7 victory over the rival Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
Jumping out to a quick start, quarterback Kirk Cousins hit Justin Jefferson with a five-yard touchdown on the first drive of the game. Throughout the rest of the first half, Cousins and Jefferson were playing on a different level in the first half. The two connected for four receptions for 111 yards and two touchdowns.
This marked the 200th career reception for @JJettas2, who is appearing in his 34th game.
He ties Anquan Boldin & Reggie Bush as the 4th-fastest player ever to reach 200 catches. Only Odell Beckham Jr. (30 games), Michael Thomas (32) & Jarvis Landry (33) reached the mark quicker. https://t.co/BknWcdoMy5
— NFL345 (@NFL345) September 11, 2022
They ended up connecting for nine receptions for a career-high 184 yards and two touchdowns. O’Connell did a great job scheming route concepts to spring Jefferson wide open consistently. When he wasn’t, Cousins used great ball placement to get the ball to the star third-year wide receiver out of LSU.
The Vikings offensive line was much improved but rookie starting right guard Ed Ingram showed his inexperience when he was dominated by stud defensive tackle Kenny Clark for a sack in the first half.
The defense overall was solid. They forced two turnovers by Aaron Rodgers and had a goal-line stand in the first half to set the tone.
One of the bright spots was the pass defense. The Vikings allowed only 6.7 yards per attempt on the day and sacked Aaron Rodgers four times on the day.
After finishing the first half 17-0, the Vikings had a chance to do something that they didn’t do during the Mike Zimmer era: put the opponent away early by running up the score. They ended up playing relatively conservative in the second half and it didn’t end up mattering as the defense shut down the Packers offense in the second half.
Up next for the Vikings are the Philadelphia Eagles, who beat the Detroit Lions 38-35 on Sunday afternoon. After getting up 38-21 in the third quarter, they allowed the Lions to get back into the game rather easily. They love to run the football and will challenge the Vikings defense with RPOs.
Stay tuned throughout the week as we preview the game better than anyone else.
