Carson Wentz put on a dreadful performance in the 23-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills on “Monday Night Football” that ultimately saved the Minnesota Vikings’ season.
The matchup was primed to be a quarterback evaluation trap, given that the Bills traveled on the road with a bottom-five total defensive EPA in the league. Minnesota provided Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, Jordan Mason, and Aaron Jones for Wentz, while Buffalo played without half of their starting offensive line against a fierce Minnesota defense.
Wentz played so poorly that the front office had no choice but to change direction after the game left no doubt that the team would be punting on the season without an upgrade.
Kirk Cousins emerged as the perfect match for the Vikings after playing in Kevin O’Connell’s system, elevating Jefferson to elite levels, and remaining beloved by the organization and the city.
Following a stint with the Las Vegas Raiders that was designed to be limited, the Vikings traded a third-rounder for Cousins in a move that fans had pined for during the 18 hours between Monday night and Tuesday afternoon’s trade deadline. While Minnesota secured their veteran quarterback, other potential deals across the NFL failed to materialize before the deadline passed.
The Jacksonville Jaguars played hard-to-get with wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. despite rarely utilizing him on offense, maintaining his rookie contract control through at least 2027.
The Los Angeles Rams faced an obvious wide receiver need after losing Puka Nacua for an extended period and playing without Davante Adams for multiple weeks. A deal involving Thomas would have addressed the roster crunch for a Rams team carrying both Nacua and Adams on expiring contracts.
The Minnesota Vikings sit just outside the top five Super Bowl contenders as the league waits to see if Cousins can perform as well as he did before his Achilles injury. Jacksonville holds the top spot, followed by the Chicago Bears, Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, and Cincinnati Bengals rounding out the top tier.
At the opposite end of the standings, the Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles, Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins, and Los Angeles Chargers occupy the bottom five spots in position to land the top selection in the 2027 NFL Draft. The New York Jets secured the Colts’ first-round pick in 2027 as part of earlier transactions that position them well for the future.
