Story by
Polarizing Day for Former MN Vikings Quarterbacks
- Story by
- Polarizing Day for Former MN Vikings Quarterbacks
Brett Davis-Imagn Images Brett Davis-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Vikings played on Thursday Night Football and got their weekly embarrassment out of the way. Carson Wentz was hardly the problem, but youngster J.J. McCarthy is now expected to take over in Week 9 against the Detroit Lions .
McCarthy is the only remaining quarterback on the roster from last season, and two former Vikings veterans were in the spotlight for completely separate reasons on Sunday.
Advertisement
Kirk Cousins steps in for Atlanta Falcons
With Michael Penix nursing a knee injury kept him out of practice, the Atlanta Falcons turned to veteran backup Kirk Cousins . Of course there have been recent trade rumors suggesting he could return to Minnesota. Whether that makes sense or not, he didn't do himself any favors on Sunday.
Related Headlines
Final from Atlanta
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) October 26, 2025
Despite playing at home, against a 1-6 Miami Dolphins team , Kirk Cousins showed nothing short of mediocrity. The 24-point loss included Cousins going just 21-of-31 for 173 yards. He took one sack as well. Cousins averaged just 5.6 yards per attempt.
With the quarterback looking inept, Miami was able to stack the box and limit Atlanta's running game as well. The Falcons had just 45 yards on 17 carries with lead back Bijan Robinson going for just 25.
Advertisement
Cousins has been called an all-time bag getter , and it's performances like this that highlight just how much money he has generated while being entirely underwhelming. He is making more than $27 million this season to sit behind Penix.
Things may not go well with J.J. McCarthy, and the Vikings intended to win this season. Under no circumstance though, do they need to bring Cousins back.
Daniel Jones owns NFL's best record
Last season the Vikings signed Daniel Jones after he was released by the New York Giants . He never got into game action but was elevated as Sam Darnold's backup for a single contest. Despite a desire to sign him this offseason, Jones went to Indianapolis . Now his Colts , at 7-1, own the league's best record.
Daniel Jones runs the "Alec down there somewhere" to perfection 🚀 pic.twitter.com/yYgfErBS7R
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 26, 2025
Jones was 21-of-29 against the Tennessee Titans for 272 yards and three touchdowns. He now has a 13/3 TD/INT ratio while completing more than 70% of his passes through eight games.
Advertisement
You could argue that Minnesota didn't know what they had in Jones, but it was clear they prioritized signing him from the Giants. Jones also recently talked about just how much he learned working with Sam Darnold and Kevin O'Connell.
It's understandable that the Vikings didn't want to commit $100 million for Darnold with McCarthy waiting in the wings. Jones signed a one-year deal for $14 million . Minnesota was open to a short-term deal with Darnold, and that should have been the plan for Jones as well.
A one or two year deal upwards of $16 million would have given Minnesota additional flexibility for McCarthy to earn the job, and Jones clearly would have thrived in a better environment than New York. We'll never know how that could have worked out, but the Vikings are nowhere near the playoffs while Jones is working towards a one-seed and potential MVP.
Related Headlines
Advertisement
