Week 5: Winners & Losers vs Bears

The Vikings won 29-22 in another sloppy game against a bad football team, but at the end of the day, they won and move to 4-1 on the season.

5 Winners of the game

1. Kirk Cousins:

Kirk started the game by breaking a Vikings franchise completion record starting the game 17/17 in passing which is very impressive for any quarterback. Cousins finished the game 32/41 passing, 296 yards, 2 Touchdowns(1 rushing), and 1 interception. Kirk started off hot and started to slow down towards the middle of the game but when the team needed him most he came up and led another 4th quarter comeback and game-winning drive.

2. Justin Jefferson:

Another JJ game where he clearly is trying to prove he is the best WR in the league, and he did just that becoming the Receiving Leader through Week 5. JJ caught the most passes of his career with 12 receptions on 13 targets and added 154 yards receiving to that. Seemed like JJ was just running wide-open for the majority of the first half of the game.

3. Dalvin Cook:

It was awesome to see Cook look like his old self, he looked explosive and quicker than in the first 4 weeks. Cook went for 121 total yards and 2 touchdowns on 20 touches showing the fans he is still here and can be a threat to defenses when the OLine is cooking.

4. Cameron Dantzler:

Dantzler has been a pleasant surprise for this struggling secondary. He has played very well all season and made the play of the game stripping ex-Vikings WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette of the ball to end the game and give the Vikings their 4th win of the season. A big tribute to Patrick Peterson for being a big mentor for Dantzler and helping him improve his game massively.

5. Offensive Line:

After 5 weeks this offensive line has been up and down, but we have seen more good than bad. Darrisaw, Bradbury, and Ezra allowed 0 pressures on Sunday and looked sharp. As for the right side, it wasn't as good but not terrible with 5 pressures between Ingram and O'Neill. Darrisaw after only two seasons looks like he could be a franchise Left Tackle for this team for years to come.

Losers of the game

1. Greg Joseph:

This is the first time that a kicker has been awful for the Vikings and I am not that worried. Something about Greg Joseph just tells me that he is more mentally tough than the old fragile Vikings kickers. With that being said, Greg still falls in the loser category after missing multiple kicks this game and the last few as well.

2. Danielle Hunter:

Is it time to panic? Danielle Hunter flat-out has just not been a problem for opposing offensive lines through the first 5 weeks. I don't think that it is a Hunter issue as much as it is an Ed Donatell issue which I will get into now.

3. Ed Donatell:

I'll keep this short, but Ed Donatell needs to step it up before he gets fired. The defense gives up way too much yardage and points against bad offenses. We need to see Donatell get this pass-rushing unit moving, the Vikings have 3 good pass rushers in Hunter, Smith, and Wonnum but they have not been a huge difference maker in this 3-4 defense.