2023 NFL Power Rankings: Minnesota Vikings

Kirk Cousins tore his right Achilles tendon Sunday -- which has thrown the QB position into shambles, especially considering that veteran backup Nick Mullens is on injured reserve because of a back ailment. Mullens is eligible to return as early as Week 10, but it's not clear if he will be ready. The Vikings' best bet at the moment might be rookie Jaren Hall, a fifth-round pick who had his share of struggles during extensive preseason action. The only other quarterback on the roster is veteran Sean Mannion, who was signed to the practice squad when Mullens was hurt. -- Kevin Seifert

The Vikings find themselves in a similar place to the Jets: nominally in contention, but facing some hard questions at quarterback. Kirk Cousins' devastating Achilles injury opens up the possibility that he's played his final game for the club, and it puts the Vikings into a fascinating short-term quandary, as they currently sit in the No. 7 playoff spot in the NFC. It doesn't feel like there's a Brett Favre-like answer just waiting for the phone to ring, even if everyone knows whom Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell once backed up as a Patriots player. More likely, it's Jaren Hall or Sean Mannion or Nick Mullens, or some combination of them. If this is it for Cousins in Minnesota, it's a cruel twist of fate. He'd been playing some really good football. Neither he nor Vikings fans deserved this.

UPDATE: On Tuesday, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported that the Vikings are trading for Cardinals QB Josh Dobbs.

With Kirk Cousins out for the year, they are done, which is why they are down this far. He was playing outstanding football before tearing his Achilles against the Packers. There is no quarterback who can save them now who would be available or who is on the roster.

The most Pyrrhic of victories Sunday at Green Bay, QB Kirk Cousins tearing his Achilles in the latter stages of Minnesota's walkover win. So now what?

Something scary (for them): Kirk Cousins' injury

Cousins was playing perhaps the best football of his career before suffering a torn Achilles on Sunday. He is second in the league in passing yards per game (291.8), and that will end up being the second-highest single-season number of his career. Rookie Jaren Hall finished the game Sunday, but coach Kevin O'Connell indicated after the game that all options, including signing a street free agent or making a trade, are on the table to fill Cousins' large shoes.

What a gut punch. Had Kirk Cousins not gotten hurt against the Packers, the Vikings would be looking just as hot and just as entertaining as the Bengals. Instead, Cousins is done for the year and things feel hopeless despite winning four of the last five. It will be interesting to see how they move forward at quarterback, but it just sucks all the way around.

We have to judge the Vikings for what they are now, and without Kirk Cousins the rest of the season they are probably going to struggle. Next up is probably fifth-round rookie Jaren Hall. They could sign someone like Carson Wentz. But the truth is that nobody available at the start of November is going to turn the Vikings into a contender. It's a brutal break for a team that was starting to ascend.

Will the devastation of losing Kirk Cousins cause others to step up, or to give up?

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