How Much Will the Vikings’ QB Change Matter To Green Bay?

Green Bay Packers How Much Will the Vikings’ QB Change Matter To Green Bay? Photo Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports By Mitch Widmeier - November 13, 2026 It would have been appropriate for the Minnesota Vikings to sound the Gjallarhorn Tuesday afternoon after bringing back quarterback Kirk Cousins . Minnesota has a lot in place, sitting at 6-2, but an answer at quarterback was not one of them. With Cousins expected to start against a stingy Green Bay Packers defense on Sunday, does it really matter who’s under center for the Vikings? The answer is a resounding “yes.” The quarterback play from Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz this year has been abysmal. Meanwhile, Cousins is 12th in total EPA this year, and he looked rejuvenated in Klint Kubiak’s offense. Neither Murray nor Wentz was top 50 in total EPA at quarterback. We’re not talking outside the top 20 or even outside the top 32. Of all quarterbacks who have played this year, Cousins is 12th in total EPA, and Murray and Wentz couldn’t sniff the top 50. If we set the standard at a minimum of 100 snaps, Cousins is 11th, Murray is 23rd, and Wentz doesn’t qualify. Whatever. Even the most generous tweaking of the stats shows a significant disparity. Cousins returns to the Vikings, who have thrown for the fifth-most yards in the league with 2,340 and the second-most touchdown passes with 20. With Cousins at the controls, the Las Vegas Raiders were No. 8 in points per game at 26.4. The Vikings are No. 27 at 18.3. With Cousins at the controls, the Raiders were No. 15 in total offense. The Vikings are No. 31. Kirk Cousins has more touchdowns this season than the entire Vikings offense combined. In a press conference on Wednesday, head coach Kevin O’Connell made it sound like it would be Cousins under center on Sunday at Lambeau Field, despite noting it’s too early to make that call. “We’re excited about the opportunity of spending every moment between now and then to get him comfortable and allowing him to play for us this Sunday,” O’Connell said. “So that’s what we’re working toward.” He later added, “We acquired Kirk to join a 6-2 football team and play.” Cousins is a clear upgrade from what the Vikings had in place. The only real question is how quickly he will re-wire his mind to lead O’Connell’s scheme. On the flip side, the Packers defense has been a torture chamber for many quarterbacks this year. Jonathan Gannon’s group picked off Drake Maye three times last Sunday. Two weeks earlier, they put Jared Goff in a straitjacket. Although the Packers fell short in that contest, it wasn’t due to the defense, which held the Lions to just 20 points. If there’s one thing Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys have proven, it’s that they can put up points in a hurry. They scored 13 against the Packers this year. Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson has been lauded like a minor deity in the national media. We’ve been told it doesn’t matter who is in or out of Chicago’s lineup. Johnson will make the magic happen. Without Caleb Williams and with Tyson Bagent back in Week 5, the Bears only scored seven points against the Packers. It won’t be easy for Cousins to face this defense, which is riding one hell of a momentum wave. Time and again, when the Packers have been pitted against a top-tier offense, they’ve held their own. There’s also one key flaw in Cousins’ admittedly impressive stat line this year: the interceptions. He has thrown eight this year, the sixth-most in the NFL. He’ll be going up against a supremely opportunistic group that ranks second in the league in interceptions (13) and second in total takeaways (19). They picked off Maye three times, Prescott twice, and intercepted Bears quarterbacks three times in the Week 5 throttling. Cousins has been away since 2023 and has only a matter of days to prepare. He’s also thrown several interceptions, and this Packers defense has been ball-hawking against the best. But Minnesota’s quarterback play has been so poor that even a new work in progress will be better than the product they’ve put out over the past several weeks. If Carson Wentz were starting on Sunday, there’d be a dead-man-walking feel to this game. It would feel years removed from their Week 1 matchup . Kyler Murray under center wouldn’t instill much more confidence. Kirk Cousins gives Minnesota’s offense a new lease on life and makes this game a fascinating story in the larger lore of the NFC North. Mitch Widmeier Mitch Widmeier covers the Green Bay Packers for Zone Coverage. Mitch comes over from FanDuel Sports Network where he was in the content department. Follow his YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@Mitch_I_Am and at @m_widmeier on Twitter. All Articles