For Vikings fans accustomed to years of stomach-churning pass protection — dating back, more or less, to Jerry Hughes breezing past Matt Kalil in the second game of the 2013 preseason — the sight of Kirk Cousins standing in the pocket last Friday night, almost unperturbed as he surveyed his receivers, had to amount to a sugar rush.
None of the Vikings' four quarterbacks was sacked in last Friday's win over the Saints, marking the first time the team has gone without giving up a sack in a preseason game since its final exhibition game against the Broncos in 2010.