The Minnesota Vikings found a way to win in tough circumstances in Charlotte as they beat the Carolina Panthers by a score of 21-13.
It was a hard-fought win for the Vikings, as they allowed the Panthers to get a free seven points with Kirk Cousins’ pick-six on the first drive of the game. After that, the Panthers drove down for a field goal and were up 10-0.
The Vikings scored all 14 points in the second half to get the win, with superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson catching their only two offensive touchdowns.
Overall, there were more positive performances than negative, meaning more studs than duds from Sunday.
Stud: LT Christian Darrisaw
After spraining his ankle in the first quarter in week one, Christian Darrisaw finished the game, but didn’t play the following Thursday against the Philadelphia Eagles. His first game back was not great as he allowed four pressures against the Los Angeles Chargers, but he held up really well against the Carolina Panthers. He kept Kirk Cousins upright and wasn’t involved in allowing a lot of pressure on Cousins.
Dud: QB Kirk Cousins
There is no way to sugar coat this. Kirk Cousins was bad on Sunday. He continued to be indecisive and turned the ball over twice, which resulted in 10 of the Panthers 13 points.
The first interception resulted in Cousins waiting way too long to throw a flat route to K.J. Osborn but he threw it nearly two seconds late which resulted in a pick-six. The second one could have been avoided by Cousins simply stepping up in the pocket, but his pocket management has been awful all season
Stud: S Harrison Smith
Overall, the Vikings defense played really well against Bryce Young. The coverage forced Young to check it down often and throw multiple screens. Brian Flores got his patented Bengal Hawk blitz home and Smith stripped Young and D.J. Wonnum scooped it up for a touchdown. Smith has been everywhere on defense and taking care of business, including a game-clinching sack on fourth down.
Stud: RB Cam Akers
When the Vikings traded for Cam Akers, there was a lot of debate as to what the trade really represented. After one game, things look pretty good for the former Los Angeles Ram. He only carried the ball five times, but those went for 40 yards with two catches for 11 yards. Akers looked explosive and ran with a vengeance. Alexander Mattison still carried the ball 17 times, but it was a great debut nonetheless.
Stud: OLB Marcus Davenport
After not playing more than four snaps in the first three games, Marcus Davenport made a big splash on Sunday. He was in on two sacks, setting up D.J. Wonnum for one and getting a critical one on third down in the fourth quarter. Davenport has played as advertised, using his size, strength and athleticism to wreak havoc on defenders.
Stud: Brian Flores
With Cousins having a down performance, the defense needed to step up and they did in a big way. Brian Flores was consistently confusing a young Bryce Young with different blitz packages and coverages on the back end. The pass rush was the best part of the unit, as they ended up with five sacks on the day. If the Vikings are going to compete with the great teams in the league, they will need this defense to pull through.
