The ups and downs of an entire season were condensed into this one afternoon. For the third week in a row they did just enough to walk off the field as the victors and thanks to the Big Men of New York have an indisputable advantage on the loathsome team from Wisconsin. As early as it is in the season the value is muted, but enjoy it nonetheless!
The victory wouldn't have been possible without Kirk Cousins being as sharp as any in the history of the franchise in the first half or Cam Dantzler making a heads-up play to steal the ball from Ihmir Smith-Marsette to finish the game.
The vocal contingent who insist on perpetually bagging on those two more than many (any) other members of the team stupidly won't be swayed by what was done but the other 99% of the fanbase understand and appreciate the necessary contributions.
Cousins wouldn't have been able to break Tommy Kramer's record without Justin Jefferson once again being other-worldly. He finished with 12 catches for 154 yards and the pass that went for 23 yards. The next three receivers, Irv Smith Jr., KJ Osborn & Adam Thielen, combined for 13 catches and 110 yards. We've seen the same kind of performance before but the more he is able to get wide open and punish defense's the more special it gets, not the other way around because the attention from other teams will only continue to increase. Along the way Jefferson once again put himself into hall of fame company tying Randy Moss & Lance Alworth for the most 150+ yard games receiving in the first three years of a career! He also passed Moss for the most receptions in that time frame. If he stays healthy for most of the remaining 12 games he will make it nearly unreachable.
Today was also the best game of the season by Dalvin Cook as he came close to eclipsing 100 yards while getting into the end zone twice. It was the third game in a row which finished with him toting the ball at least 17 times. That, ladies & gentlemen, is what you call a trend! With the depth at the position they could run him even more and not worry about the potential result but it seems clear that they are prioritizing his long term availability beyond what he can produce right now.
The defense showed further signs that they are acclimating to the new scheme but continue to be a work in progress. It remains to be seen how much of a challenge they will have next Sunday against Miami but so long as they continue to improve while doing enough to keep the team in the winner's circle it's an acceptable situation.
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