The Vikings may have acquired the only missing piece for their Super Bowl run

What’s old is new again for the Minnesota Vikings.After another week of uninspiring quarterback play, the Vikings acquired Kirk Cousins from the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday, reuniting Cousins with the team he played for from 2018 through 2023.

Minnesota is 6-2 this season, with a defense that’s playing at a championship level.But the Vikings’ offense has lagged far behind, and now Minnesota is turning to Cousins, the same quarterback the team spent the last two-plus seasons trying to upgrade from.

While they’ve struggled all season, the Vikings’ offense sunk to its nadir on Monday, when backup quarterback Carson Wentz had a miserable performance in a 23-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills.Wentz completed only eight of 25 passes for paltry 81 yards and two interceptions in the loss.

Wentz’s passer rating (8.9) and QBR (2.3) were both in the single digits.But offense has been an issue for the Vikings no matter who has been under center.Kirk Cousins started 88 games for the Vikings, posting a 50-37-1 record.Patrick McDermott / GettyThrough nine weeks, Minnesota’s 12 touchdowns are the second-fewest in the entire NFL.

Even the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans, both 1-7, have scored more touchdowns than the Vikings.Minnesota’s offense is second-to-last in expected points added per play, per RBSDM, an advanced analytics website.The Vikings are also 29th in EPA per dropback and dropback success rate.For SubscribersFOR SUBSCRIBERSRon DeSantis is preparing to start a think tank amid renewed presidential buzzFOR SUBSCRIBERSThe House districts that remain uncalled after the 2026 midtermsFOR SUBSCRIBERSThe CDC weighs new vaccine strategies as measles surges across the U.S.

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