The Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings are moving in opposite directions. Coming off an MVP-level performance from Jordan Love, the Packers are positioned to stake their claim to the NFC North throne. The Vikings, on the other hand, have lost back-to-back games and are flailing on offense after their undefeated start.
In desperation, Minnesota made a trade-deadline deal for 38-year-old Kirk Cousins, hoping he could turn back the clock to revive their offense.
Packers defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon can make that trade look foolish when the two teams face off in Week 10. Give Gannon one game, and the Vikings' newfound hopes will be dashed.
Vikings' Kirk Cousins trade isn't enough to stop the surging Packers
Minnesota churned through Sam Darnold, J.J. McCarthy, and Kyler Murray before finally realizing that it made a mistake by moving on from Cousins in the first place. With the veteran back in Kevin O'Connell's offense, the Vikings hope they can pull out of the nosedive that threatens to waste their perfect start to the season.
Even if Cousins is an improvement over Murray and Carson Wentz, though, he doesn't come close to solving all of the problems facing the Vikings' offense.
Minnesota currently ranks 29th in both EPA per rush and rushing success rate. They've been unable to cobble together a running game between Jordan Mason and the 31-year-old version of Aaron Jones.
Cousins was never considered a mobile quarterback in his prime, so he's not going to do anything to help the Vikings' running game. In fact, that half of the offense might get worse without Murray.
Against a stout Packers defense in Week 10, it's hard to see Cousins' arrival making a sizable difference in the result.
Jonathan Gannon's Packers defense is built to beat Kirk Cousins' Vikings
While Love has taken up most of the attention during the Packers' recent stretch, Gannon certainly deserves some recognition. He has built a top-10 defense with his best player on the sideline. Just imagine what this unit could be when Micah Parsons finally returns.
Gannon is set up to steal the spotlight against the Vikings. His defense is built to limit the intermediate passing game, which is exactly what Cousins relies on.
Cousins currently leads the NFL in intermediate pass attempts with 85. He throws between 10 and 19 yards downfield over a quarter of the time. Those passes have been the backbone of the Las Vegas Raiders' offense so far this year.
Gannon's Packers are as good as it gets at limiting those exact throws. Over the last four games, opposing quarterbacks have completed 15 of 38 intermediate passes for zero touchdowns and three interceptions. The middle of the field is a no-fly zone.
Assuming that Green Bay can hold up against Minnesota's weak running game on early downs, Cousins will be forced to target those intermediate throws. When he does, Packers safeties Xavier McKinney and Evan Williams will be waiting patiently to take advantage.
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