Vikings welcome Cousins back as they prepare for crucial battle in Green Bay

Vikings welcome Cousins back as they prepare for crucial battle in Green Bay By KSTP Sports Interviews from Vikings locker room previewing game vs. Packers on Sun. Nov. 15 The Vikings head to Lambeau Field on Sunday with plenty on the line in the NFC North and a familiar face back under center. Just days after acquiring veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins, Minnesota spent its first full week getting reacquainted with the quarterback who helped lead the franchise from 2018 to 2023. And if Thursday’s practice was any indication, players believe the transition could be seamless. “It felt like he never left,” wide receiver Jordan Addison said after Cousins’ first practice back with the team. Addison was at home playing video games with teammates when word broke Tuesday that a trade bringing Cousins back to Minnesota was complete. “We was on the game, and then they was like, ‘We got him. It’s certified,'” Addison said. “I was just like, ‘Wow, Kirk O’Chainz is really back.'” ***Click the video box above to watch our interviews with Addison, Eric Wilson, Christian Darrisaw, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Theo Jackson*** The excitement was immediate for a Vikings offense looking to regain its footing after a disappointing Monday night loss to the Bills. “I was super excited just to get a guy like that, of his caliber,” Addison said. “He’s familiar with the offense. He’s been around these weapons, so hopefully we just get back on the same page, right where we left off.” Addison and Cousins shared several key moments during the receiver’s rookie season, including a touchdown connection during Cousins’ final game as a Viking at Lambeau Field in 2023. Asked about recreating that play Sunday, Addison smiled. “We gonna do it again,” he said. “We gonna run it back.” The chemistry, he said, was evident immediately. “We got out there today, and it felt like he’s been with us the whole time. The chemistry is still there, and we’re going to light it up.” Familiarity Provides Confidence Left tackle Christian Darrisaw echoed those sentiments. “It was a great feeling,” Darrisaw said. “We know what he brings.” Darrisaw pointed to Cousins’ production this season as evidence of the veteran’s continuing impact. “I think he’s leading the league in touchdowns (2nd to Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow). He’s efficient, he’s getting the ball out, and he’s able to dissect the defense and just make plays across the field.” For an offensive line tasked with protecting whoever is taking snaps, Cousins’ return brings another layer of comfort. “Just having that feeling again with him back there in that pocket, it’s a great feeling,” Darrisaw said. Even with Cousins stepping into the spotlight, players stressed that success Sunday will come from team execution. “It didn’t matter who we had,” Darrisaw said. “We just know we got to go out there and do our jobs as one of 11.” Defense Faces Major Challenge While much of the attention this week has centered on Cousins, the Vikings defense knows its toughest assignment may be slowing Packers quarterback Jordan Love. Veteran linebacker Eric Wilson, who has both played with and against Love, called the Green Bay passer “a beast.” “He’s a really good quarterback,” Wilson said. “They’ve got really good players. We definitely have to be in our P’s and Q’s and play team defense.” Outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel was even more emphatic. “He’s playing at an MVP level,” Van Ginkel said. “He’s making some crazy throws. We got to prepare well because he can take advantage of it. He can throw it over top of you. He can dink and dunk. He can do everything.” Safety Theo Jackson sees similar challenges when studying Green Bay’s explosive passing game. “They’re creating a lot of separation,” Jackson said of Packers receivers Christian Watson and Matthew Golden. “They’re really just beating people deep. They’re using their speed, and Jordan Love is trusting them to go get it.” Minnesota’s defense could also be without leading linebacker Blake Cashman, who remains in concussion protocol. If Cashman can’t play, Wilson appears to be the leading candidate to take over defensive communication duties. “I’ve done plenty of games in my career in the green dot,” Wilson said. “It’s just a matter of communicating.” Still, Vikings defenders expressed confidence in their depth. “We got guys that can step up,” Van Ginkel said. “Obviously Cash is one heck of a player, a leader on this defense. But we got guys all over the place that can play and fill in the void if need be.” Back in the Division Spotlight Few Viking-Packers matchups lack significance, but Sunday’s showdown feels particularly important. Minnesota is trying to bounce back from a difficult prime-time loss. Green Bay sits at 6-3 in the thick of the division race behind Love’s strong play. And now Cousins returns to Lambeau Field, the site of his final game as a Viking three years ago. The reunion has created an energy that players admitted was hard to ignore. “It kind of feels surreal right now,” Addison said. “Just to have that kind of player come back with us. He’s already familiar, all the guys in the building love him, and it’s like he’s right back at home.” The Vikings are hoping that feeling carries over into Sunday’s game. To win at Lambeau, they’ll need the old Cousins-Addison connection to reappear, the defense to contain Love, and perhaps a few more familiar moments from a quarterback making a surprising return home.