Before last Sunday’s game against Chicago, Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins lauded the play of the special teams in the first four games. And head coach Kevin O’Connell had talked about all three phases of the game needing to do well against the Bears.
So what happened?
“Quite frankly, we didn’t hold up our end of the bargain,’’ Minnesota special teams coordinator Matt Daniels said Thursday.
The Vikings were able to defeat the Bears 29-22 at U.S. Bank Stadium on Cousins’ 1-yard touchdown run with 2:26 left in the game. Daniels said the “sweet taste of victory” made him feel better, but he still was disappointed after the game.
Against the Bears, the Vikings had a 15-yard punt by Ryan Wright, had a missed 53-yard field goal by Greg Joseph and a 51-yarder that was blocked, and had a holding call on outside linebacker D.J. Wonnum on Wright’s bad punt. They also had a fumble by punt returner Jalen Reagor, but at least the Vikings recovered
“I’m a firm believer that consistency is the truest measure of performance,’’ Daniels said. “You look at the first four weeks of the season and you watch the tape, I could say that we were consistently the better (special teams) on the field and you look at the next week. … We had a lot of self-inflicted wounds.”
Daniels, though, is optimistic that many of the problems will be cleaned up for Sunday’s game at Miami.
“You can fix all the issues, but what you can’t fix is the won-loss column,’’ said Daniels, relieved that the offense and the defense were good enough last Sunday for the Vikings to beat the Bears.
COUSINS ‘COMFORTABLE’
Cousins’ passing statistics aren’t as good so far this season as they were in 2021, but his won-loss record is much better. The Vikings are 4-1, their best start since 2016, two years before Cousins arrived.
“I feel like Kirk is more comfortable in this offense,’’ said wide receiver Justin Jefferson. “I feel like just with the people that’s around him.”
Jefferson said he continues to become more comfortable with Cousins, and he pointed to the offensive system under O’Connell, the first-year coach who had been Cousins’ quarterbacks coach in Washington in 2017.
“We’ve been together for three years now, so our connection has been growing and growing and, of course, (O’Connell) coming in here with an offense that he’s been in before, I feel just like (Cousins is) a lot more confident, just comfortable,’’ Jefferson said.
As far as his passer rating goes, Cousins is at 86.4 after five games, in line to easily be the lowest in his eight seasons as an NFL starter. His rating was 103.1 last season.
INJURY UPDATE
The only player on Minnesota’s 53-man roster to not practice Thursday was Wonnum, who was out due to an illness. Running back Alexander Mattison was listed as limited with a shoulder injury.
All other players were full participants. That included rookie safety Akyaleb Evans, who had been in the concussion protocol after being hurt against the Bears and was limited in Wednesday’s practice.
REAGOR’S TOUCHDOWN
It was just a 1-yard pass, but Reagor was thrilled against Chicago to score his first Vikings touchdown.
“It was really exciting,’’ he said. “It was cool to be in the end zone, for sure.”
In the second quarter, Reagor went in motion and Cousins flipped the ball to him as he went by. It looked as if the Bears might have snuffed out the play, but Reagor made some nifty moves to get into the end zone.
“That’s what I do,’’ Reagor said of eluding defenders. “It’s kind of an instinctual thing. It’s not like a thought. It’s like something you just do off instincts. So that’s what I do.”
PETERSON BACK HOME
In his first 11 NFL seasons, cornerback Patrick Peterson made just one trip back for a game in his native South Florida. At least this weekend, he will have another.
Peterson, who played his first 10 seasons with Arizona and is in his second year with Minnesota, is a native of Fort Lauderdale. His only previous game at Miami was a 26-23 loss by the Cardinals in 2016.
“It’s a joy to get back home and have an opportunity to play in front of your friends and family … and hopefully put on a show,” he said.