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The Minnesota Vikings brought Kirk Cousins back Tuesday to solve the offensive problem threatening an otherwise promising season. Acquiring the veteran from the Las Vegas Raiders for a 2027 third-round pick, pending a physical, gives Minnesota a credible path forward.

My prediction is a 12-5 finish and second place in the NFC North standings. Cousins should help the Vikings recover from consecutive losses, but the Detroit Lions will finish narrowly ahead at 13-4.

Cousins can give the Vikings’ defense enough support

Minnesota’s 6-2 record reflects an imbalance. The Vikings average just 18.3 points while allowing 14.5, pairing the league’s top scoring defense with an offense ranked 27th in scoring.

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Their last two defeats sharpen the concern. The Vikings scored 15 points vs. the Detroit Lions and then six against the Buffalo Bills. The defense has given the team opportunities its offense has struggled to convert.

Cousins offers more than familiarity. He completed 64.1% of his passes for 2,340 yards, 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions across nine starts with the Raiders.

His experience with Kevin O’Connell and connections with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and TJ Hockenson should reduce the transition burden. They cannot eliminate it, particularly for a 38-year-old changing teams in November.

The Cousins trade should make Minnesota more reliable, without requiring an immediate transformation into an elite offense.

Five home games provide the route to 12 wins

The opening stretch could test that patience. I project losses at the Green Bay Packers and against the San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City, where San Francisco is the designated home team.

Those assignments offer little room for an offense adjusting around a new quarterback. Cousins’ first start also remains unconfirmed.

The rebound starts in Minneapolis. I predict the Vikings will beat the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Lions, Washington Commanders and Chicago Bears at home, adding a road victory over the New York Jets.

The other projected defeat comes at the New England Patriots on December 10. A Thursday road game following Sunday’s matchup creates a difficult turnaround.

The Vikings must beat the Lions and Bears at home to split the season series with Detroit and sweep Chicago, pivotal results in the push for second place. This forecast requires Minnesota to win all six games outside its three projected defeats. Any additional loss would require an offsetting victory elsewhere to reach 12-5.

Detroit retains the stronger division outlook

The Lions’ 27.8 points per game provide a more established offensive foundation. Their remaining games against Atlanta, Tennessee and the New York Giants support my projection of seven additional wins.

The Bears finish 11-6 in this forecast, with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Bills, and four division games complicating its remaining schedule. The Packers land fourth at 10-7, facing the Los Angeles Rams, Bills and difficult divisional assignments.

Minnesota’s defense already supplies the foundation. Cousins providing steadier offense across those five home opportunities is what makes 12-5 and second place the prediction.

Related: Skip Bayless drops shocking Kyler Murray over Kirk Cousins hot take after Vikings trade

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