MINNESOTA VIKINGS NEWS

Falcons bench Desmond Ridder, announce Taylor Heinicke as starter against Vikings

Taylor Heinicke has moved past turnover-plagued Desmond Ridder as the Atlanta Falcons’ starting quarterback for Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings

NOVEMBER 1, 2023 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Kevin O'Connell hopes impending free agent Kirk Cousins will be back with Vikings

Kirk Cousins is out for the season after tearing his Achilles. But Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell hopes the QB will re-sign with the team.

NOVEMBER 1, 2023

Cousins has surgery on his torn Achilles tendon. Vikings have yet to reveal a return timetable

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins has had surgery to repair his torn right Achilles tendon

NOVEMBER 1, 2023 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Kirk Cousins - Undergoes successful surgery Cousins announced Wednesday via social media that he underwent successful surgery to repair his torn right Achilles' tendon.

Impact Cousins is already on the road to recovery after having suffered a season-ending Achilles tear during Sunday's win over the Packers. According to The Athletic, full healing of an Achilles' tendon typically takes about 4-to-6 months, and given his age, the 35-year-old quarterback could need more time beyond that period before he's cleared for high-impact football activities. In any case, Cousins should have a chance at being ready to go when NFL training camps open next July, but as a pending unrestricted free agent, it remains to be seen whether he'll stick around in Minnesota or land elsewhere. For the immediate future, the Vikings will turn to rookie fifth-round pick Jaren Hall to replace Cousins as their starting quarterback Week 9 at Atlanta. The Vikings also acquired a more experienced quarterback in Joshua Dobbs from the Cardinals on Tuesday, giving the team an alternative under center if Hall doesn't prove to be NFL ready.

NOVEMBER 1, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Harrison Smith - Six tackles in win Smith registered six tackles (five solo) in Minnesota's 24-10 win against the Packers on Sunday.

Impact Smith finished fifth on the team in tackles en route to holding Jordan Love and the rest of Green Bay's offense to just 10 points. The 2012 first-round pick has now recorded 55 tackles (34 solo) this season and has logged six or more in all but two games.

NOVEMBER 1, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Harrison Smith - Six tackles in win Smith registered six tackles (five solo) in Minnesota's 24-10 win against the Packers on Sunday.

Impact Smith finished fifth on the team in tackles en route to the team holding Jordan Love and the rest of Green Bay's offense to just 10 points. The 2012 first-round pick has now recorded 55 tackles (34 solo) this season and has logged six or more in all but two games.

NOVEMBER 1, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

2023 NFL trade deadline social reaction: Chase Young to 49ers, Bills acquire Rasul Douglas

The social media world had plenty to say about the deals made at the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday.

OCTOBER 31, 2023

QB-needy Vikings acquire Josh Dobbs from Cardinals ahead of trade deadline

With Kirk Cousins injured, the Vikings added QB depth by trading for Joshua Dobbs, who had been filling in for Kyler Murray in Arizona.

OCTOBER 31, 2023

Kirk Cousins - Goes to IR The Vikings placed Cousins (Achilles) on injured reserve Tuesday.

Impact The transaction is merely a formality, as an MRI confirmed Monday that Cousins suffered a torn right Achilles' tendon in Sunday's win over Green Bay, ending the quarterback's season. According to Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell added that Cousins is slated to undergo surgery later this week, but assuming the 35-year-old has no complications with his procedure, he could be ready for full football activities when NFL training camps open next July. Since Cousins is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, it's unclear whether he'll return to Minnesota for a seventh season or explore his options elsewhere. Rookie fifth-round pick Jaren Hall appears set to make his first NFL start in Cousins' stead Week 9 at Atlanta, but Minnesota acquired a more experienced signal-caller in Joshua Dobbs from Arizona on Tuesday and could turn the offense over to him at some point in the second half of the season if Hall struggles.

OCTOBER 31, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Vikings get QB Joshua Dobbs in deadline deal with Cardinals in fallout from Cousins injury

The Minnesota Vikings agreed to acquire quarterback Joshua Dobbs in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals in the hours before the NFL trade deadline

OCTOBER 31, 2023 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

2023 NFL trade deadline tracker: 49ers get Chase Young; Bills bolster secondary

The NFL trade deadline is at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Here are all the latest moves ahead of the deadline!

OCTOBER 31, 2023

Joshua Dobbs - Won't start immediately for new team Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell said that Dobbs, whom the Vikings acquired from the Cardinals on Tuesday, isn't expected to start Sunday's game at Atlanta but could be availab...

Impact O'Connell noted that the Vikings are preparing rookie fifth-round pick Jaren Hall to make his first career start in the wake of Kirk Cousins suffering a season-ending Achilles injury Week 8 against Green Bay. While Hall could end up sticking atop the depth chart on a more permanent basis if he performs well against Atlanta, Dobbs at least gives Minnesota a battle-tested option to turn to at quarterback if Hall doesn't prove to be NFL ready. As the starter for Arizona's first eight games of the season, Dobbs completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 5.9 yards per attempt, eight touchdowns and five interceptions while adding 258 yards and three scores on 47 rushing attempts.

OCTOBER 31, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Jaren Hall - Gearing up for potential start Head coach Kevin O'Connell said Tuesday during his appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio that the Vikings are preparing as if Hall will be the team's starting quarterback Sunday in Atla...

Impact The comments came mere minutes after Minnesota acquired quarterback Joshua Dobbs, whom O'Connell said could be available to play Sunday, too. In the wake of Kirk Cousins' season-ending torn Achilles, Hall is the top in-house option at the moment with Nick Mullens (back) on injured reserve and Sean Mannion on the practice squad. If Hall gets the nod this weekend, he'll be making his second appearance as a pro after completing three of four passes for 23 yards, rushing twice for minus-1 yard and losing a fumble this past Sunday in Green Bay following Cousins' exit in the fourth quarter.

OCTOBER 31, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Joshua Dobbs - Gets moved to Minnesota The Cardinals traded Dobbs to the Vikings on Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Impact Two days removed from Arizona coach Jonathan Gannon reaffirming Dobbs' status as the team's starting quarterback and then rescinding it one day later, Dobbs is on the move to a QB-needy team after the Vikings lost Kirk Cousins for the season to a torn Achilles this past Sunday. It's unclear if Dobbs will start over rookie fifth-round pick Jaren Hall immediately, but the veteran at least will have three days to practice with his new team before new coach Kevin O'Connell will need to make such a decision.

OCTOBER 31, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Camryn Bynum - Seven tackles in Week 8 win Bynum had seven tackles (six solo), including half a sack, in Sunday's 24-10 win over the Packers.

Impact He also had two pass deflections on the day and played a large part in limiting Jordan Love and the Packers to 196 net passing yards. Bynum leads the Vikings' defense with 76 tackles on the year and is only five short of the 81 he had over 17 games in the 2022 season. He could surpass that total as early as Week 9 against the Falcons.

OCTOBER 31, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

D.J. Wonnum - Doubles season sack total Week 8 Wonnum had three tackles (one solo), including two total sacks, in Sunday's 24-10 win over the Packers.

Impact Wonnum got to Jordan Love on three separate occasions, first on a solo 12-yard sack at the end of the first quarter and in combined efforts with Camryn Bynum and Harrison Phillips in the second and fourth quarter, respectively. Wonnum is up to four sacks on the year -- already matching his total from 2022 -- and has played in at least 60 percent of defensive snaps in seven of eight games this season.

OCTOBER 31, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Josh Metellus - Second career INT in win Metellus had eight tackles (five solo) and a 43-yard interception in Sunday's 24-10 win over the Packers.

Impact Metellus tied with Jordan Hicks and Harrison Phillips with eight total tackles on the day. His interception came in the third quarter on a deep pass from Jordan Love that was intended for Jayden Reed, which Metellus returned into Packers' territory, which led to a 20-yard touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins to Jordan Addison one play later. Although Metellus sits behind Harrison Smith and Camryn Bynum on the safety depth chart, he still played in 98 percent of the defensive snaps Sunday and has carved himself an every-down role in the Vikings' secondary.

OCTOBER 31, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

The Vikings started 0-3. Now they're 4-4 and really in crisis without Kirk Cousins

The Minnesota Vikings have already endured the frustration of opening the season by losing three straight one-score games

OCTOBER 30, 2023 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Vikings' Kirk Cousins conundrum: Should Minnesota change course after injury?

With Kirk Cousins out for the rest of the season with an Achilles injury, what's next for the Vikings? Can — and should — their rebuild rema...

OCTOBER 30, 2023

Greg Joseph - Struggles continue at Green Bay Joseph converted one of his three field-goal attempts and all three of his extra-point tries in Sunday's 24-10 win at the Packers.

Impact Joseph failed to convert on two kicks for the third straight game in Week 8. In his defense, one of his field-goal attempts was blocked Sunday, and conditions were unfavorable for special-teams operations as they tend to be in late October in Green Bay. Either way, down the stretch, Minnesota will justifiably expect him to make kicks at a better rate than he has over the last few weeks.

OCTOBER 30, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

D.J. Wonnum - Two sacks in win Wonnum had two sacks, three total tackles and three QB hits in Sunday's win at Green Bay.

Impact With Marcus Davenport (ankle) on injured reserve, Wonnum started again at right edge rusher and played on 63 of the defense's 68 snaps. He has four sacks and 30 tackles in eight games this season.

OCTOBER 30, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Brandon Powell - Two touches in Sunday's win Powell had one reception for 10 yards on three targets and had one carry for two yards in Sunday's win at Green Bay. He also had three punt returns for an average of 11.3 yards.

Impact Powell left briefly due to an injury but was able to return. He played on 37 of the offense's 72 snaps as he continues to work as the third receiver with Justin Jefferson (hamstring) on injured reserve. It's possible Jefferson could return Week 10, so Powell may soon be back to a smaller role.

OCTOBER 30, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Talk the Line: Early breakdown of NFL Week 9 odds

FOX Sports Betting Analysts Geoff Schwartz, Sam Panayotovich and Jason McIntyre break down every Week 9 game's opening spreads. Is it too hi...

OCTOBER 30, 2023