Kirk Cousins’ injury deals a massive blow to the Vikings playoff desires, but rookie quarterback Jaren Hall can hold on with a loaded roster.
GREEN BAY, Wis. — It wasn’t supposed to end like this. A 24-10 lead over the Packers was supposed to propel the surging Vikings to a 4-4 record with Kirk Cousins getting ready for a Week 9 showdown versus the Atlanta Falcons. Instead, the Vikings are left with rookie 5th-round draft pick Jaren Hall at the helm and Cousins a positive MRI away from a lost season.
Losing Kirk Cousins is a bullet through the heart for a Vikings team that has shown so much promise this year from rookie wide receiver Jordan Addison breaking out to finally finding tight end prowess in TJ Hockenson.
Cousins has been a lifeblood of the team for years, garnering respect amongst nearly every member of the squad, “I can’t really describe it,” longtime safety Harrison Smith said. “You’ve got to experience it to know. He’s a dude. Everybody in here loves him. He’s so much tougher than he gets credit for. He makes these throws and he stares down the barrel and he f—ing slings it in there. I feel for him. I feel for him.”
The injury comes at a pivotal time in Cousins’ career, never missing a game due to injury since he entered the league in 2012. He missed one game at Green Bay in 2021 due to a positive Covid test, but other than that, he has been one of the most durable quarterbacks in the NFL. But as always, the show goes on, and the Vikings’ next man up mentality will be tested.
It’s been a story of a lot of “wasn’t supposed to’s” for the Minnesota Vikings. Cousins wasn’t supposed to get hurt and Jaren Hall wasn’t supposed to fill in. Backup quarterback Nick Mullens has been on injured reserve with a lower back strain with the game at Green Bay being his third out of a league mandated four weeks on the list. That means rookie quarterback Jaren Hall will get the start next week in Atlanta.
The bad news, Jaren Hall has never started an NFL game before in his life. The good news? Jaren Hall has to do just enough to keep the Vikings alive in order to figure out a long-term solution for the remainder of this year. If Hall absolutely lights the Falcons on fire, than the Vikings’ job becomes a little more clear cut. He’s got players like Jordan Addison who’s proven to be as plug and play as they come and KJ Osborn to help him out. While star receiver Justin Jefferson is still stuck on IR, if Hall can do enough to float the Vikings along, his return could prove to be a massive help to whoever is under center.
Hall’s time is now, but whether it will stay that way depends completely on his play. Against Green Bay, Hall completed three out of four passes for 23 yards but got strip sacked and lost the ball on a crucial drive. He showed spurts of finding the open receiver, but that was with a miniscule sample size.
“We will talk internally and get a lot of thoughts and opinions on where we are at,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said. “I did think Jaren did a nice job. … I think we have to look at potentially all of the options, including the best possible group around Jaren, knowing that we are going to continue to build a complete offense based upon a lot more than just the quarterback.”
“[Mullens’ health] is why I don’t want to commit one way or the other,” O’Connell said, “cause we’ve been kind of allowing Nick to rehab and he’s done a really nice job. He’s getting stronger. I imagine he’ll be a real possibility for us.”
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There are trade options for the Vikings available, including veteran Tennessee Titan Ryan Tannehill, who might’ve lost the starting job to Will Levis after just one game. Other options include Vikings practice squad quarterback Sean Mannion who filled in for Cousins in Green Bay two years ago when he was out with Covid as well as Kevin O’Connell familiar journeyman QB Colt McCoy.
Either way, Hall doesn’t have to be a hero, nor play like one. He just needs to do enough to keep the ship afloat while the Vikings brass can figure out a true solution. Hall is a smart player, scoring well on the new NFL S2 Cognition Test, he performed well in the preseason and at his alma mater BYU.
“You can tell he’s comfortable in the system,” Sean Mannion said. “I know he’s just a rookie, but he’s wise beyond his years in a football sense.”
“I was telling all the guys on the sideline, really impressed with how he commanded the huddle,” center Garrett Bradbury said. “Obviously with being so used to ‘8’ being in there.”
If Hall is able to play smart and efficient football, the Vikings are in prime position to make a push for the playoffs, sitting at 4-4, there’s no such thing as counting this team out just yet. And for at least the next week, it’s the Jaren Hall show.
