1a. There’s been plenty of talk about Kirk Cousins’s performance—or lack thereof—in big games (even if Monday Night Football doesn’t qualify as a big game anymore). The volume on that criticism gets turned up in light of his contract, and it will reach a crescendo as he makes his postseason debut for the Vikings. But he has a chance to rewrite some narratives on Sunday.
We’ve seen Minnesota's offense unable to function against great pass rushes, and Cam Jordan is capable of wrecking this game singlehandedly. But with Marcus Davenport and Sheldon Rankins out there’s really no one else in the New Orleans pass rush who the Vikings shouldn’t be able to handle.