HEARTBREAKING WIN

VIKINGS 24

PACKERS 10

Many things happened during the Vikings win on Sunday at Lambeau that marked their 3rd straight win to get them back to .500 after a season from hell start. Some good, a few bad.

None matter. Because the season from hell struck again in the worst way yet. Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles and is out for the season.

It overshadows everything else. Because I don't know how the Vikings survive this blow, or even if it is remotely possible.

Making things all the sadder is that Kirk was playing absolutely spectacular football. 

There was no massive hangover from the big Monday Night Football win over the 49ers. The Vikings were basically in control of this game from the start, even if it didn't totally show up on the scoreboard. 

The Vikings had 10 points on the board before the Packers even managed a 1st down. Cam Akers finally got the Vikings 1st rushing touchdown of the season. Cousins was throwing great, particularly on 3rd downs. 

Mistakes kept the game close at halftime. Greg Joseph missed a field goal. Jordan Addison dropped a TD pass. And for the 2nd time this year we lined up offsides on a field goal. The Packers missed but made the retry, so it was 10-3 at halftime instead of maybe 17-0. 

But the Vikings pulled a rare feat. They took their opening drive of the 3rd quarter and drove for a TD, on a pass to Hockenson. 3 plays later a Jordan Love deep shot was picked off by Josh Metellus. After his return, the Vikings admirably went for the kill. Addison burned Jaire Alexander, and Kirk found him for a TD that pushed the lead to 24-3. 

The Packers didn't quite go away yet. They answered with a TD drive, scoring on 4th and goal after the Vikings defense held previously.

So the game still needed sealing. And it certainly looked about to happen as the Vikings drove right back into redzone. But then Kirk took his 1st sack in 2 weeks. I figured KOC would just run it on 3rd and long and rely on Joseph. But then it happened. Kirk dropped back to throw, began to step up in the pocket, and stumbled and fell. 

I figured he had just tripped or whatever. But he quickly was hopping off the field, favoring his right leg. It's unheard of. Kirk Cousins hurt? He's never hurt. Even his harshest haters will usually at least give it up to him for his toughness.

Things spiraled when Joseph had his field goal blocked, and returned a ways. Joseph also had an out of bounds kickoff and nearly cost the offense a 4th down conversion by lazily walking onto the field. He's lucky the Cousins injury took the focus away.

Fortunately for the Vikings, and whatever hopes they still have, Brian Flores has whipped this defense into a legitimate asset. 3 times after the Kirk injury, the Packers had the ball, twice in the redzone, with a chance to still get a score or two and comeback to stun the Vikings. And 3 times the defense stood strong and forced a turnover on downs.

In between, we saw the NFL debut of Jaren Hall. Hall showed enough of a speck of promise in preseason to at least think he has a chance. I frankly didn't know what KOC was thinking, not just running and punting. And Hall got strip-sacked on his 3rd snap, immediately giving the Packers the ball deep. 

And they still threw the next series, although Hall did make one big 3rd down connection to Hockenson that pretty much sealed the deal. I suppose it could speak favorably to Hall's chances that KOC even thought enough of Hall to allow him a few throws.

The Vikings won, but it didn't feel like it. Everything spins off of this injury. The Vikings were 10 minutes away from being a dangerous, ascending 4-4 team in an NFC that looks very soft. Now we have no idea where we stand. Can we hang in there for 9 more games? Can Hall be this year's Brock Purdy, and simply be a caretaker QB with a little playmaking ability and allow the team's overall talent to carry it? Or is there a deal to be made, with the trade deadline imminent? There are a few intriguing names out there, but nobody who you can get and immediately stick out there.

And what a terrible way, if this is the end, for the Kirk Cousins era to end. Naturally a few of the true scumbag Kirk haters met this injury with glee. They've wanted a Kirk-free Vikings team for 6 years. Well, be careful what you wish for.

I am not ready to write the epitaph on the Kirk era until we know it's done. And maybe I'm just going through the denial stage, but maybe Hall can play. 

I'm not ready or willing to give up. Some great Vikings seasons have emerged after QB injuries. It's not completely impossible. That still doesn't make this anything other than probably the darkest win in the history of the team.