Vikings bring Cousins back to try to keep the season on track, putting O'Connell under scrutiny

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — With two losses in a nine-day span, the Minnesota Vikings tumbled out of first place in the entire NFC as their undefeated record vanished and their offensive success from seasons past remained well out of sight.

New general manager Nolan Teasley delivered a forceful reminder that the Vikings, despite their severe struggle to score, are still 6-2.

Teasley's belief in the capability and makeup of this team, beyond the vexing situation at quarterback, showed on Tuesday when he beat the NFL trade deadline to bring Kirk Cousins back to Minnesota. The deal for a 2027 third-round draft pick also put coach Kevin O'Connell on the clock to prove he's the right long-term fit.

Cousins has not only thrived in O'Connell's system before but played solidly as a 38-year-old all season for the Las Vegas Raiders, ranking second in the league with 20 touchdown passes and fifth with 2,340 yards. If Cousins can't give the Vikings a spark and close the vast gap between the offense and the defense, then there will clearly be a serious problem with the way O'Connell has been calling plays and designing them.

As poorly as Carson Wentz played in the 23-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday night, Kyler Murray had plenty of struggles before him. So did J.J. McCarthy last year.

“We just never got Carson in a rhythm,” O'Connell said. “We tried a bunch of tools to see if we could help that happen. I just didn’t do a good enough job.”

O'Connell said the coaching staff has cut down on the volume of plays in recent weeks to try to simplify the game plans, but whatever boost the streamlining provided wasn't enough. O'Connell specifically blamed himself for not calling more runs against the Bills, considering Jordan Mason had 35 yards on just six carries.

O’Connell has drawn rave reviews from the Vikings for his leadership over a five-year run that’s glaringly without a playoff game win, but since Sam Darnold’s breakout season in 2024 the offense has been in a persistent funk as O'Connell has tried to mold it around multiple quarterbacks.

Since the 2025 opener, a 25-game span, the Vikings rank in the bottom five in the league in the following categories, according to Sportradar data: net yards per game, net yards per play, three-and-out percentage, and offensive touchdowns.

“The issue right now is our preparation is not coming to the stadium with us,” O'Connell said. “We've got to figure that out.”

Another sign of an ailing group came in the second quarter when the Vikings were flagged three times for false starts, playing in the comfort of their home stadium without the crowd noise working against them. With such a thin margin for error the offense is operating on, even those 5-yard penalties can be crushing.

The pass rush generated by the relentless blitz calls from defensive coordinator Brian Flores and the smart and versatile players who carry them out is almost a given at this point. The bounce-back performance up front in slowing Buffalo's rushing attack after a rough finish in Detroit stood out even more. James Cook needed 31 carries to reach 107 yards, and Josh Allen had only 15 yards on six carries.

Rookie Brett Thorson landed four of his five punts inside the 20-yard line and posted an average of 48 yards per attempt, with one downed at the 1-yard line midway through the second quarter.

The entire offensive coaching staff, from O'Connell to offensive coordinator Wes Phillips to quarterbacks coach Josh McCown, has failed to find a way to create productivity, let alone consistency. The promotion of Keith Carter to offensive line coach and the hiring of Frank Smith as assistant head coach were billed as impactful changes for that side of the ball, but the results have not matched the intent.

The health of Murray's hamstring remains a question, though less pressing now that Cousins is coming. Wide receiver Jauan Jennings (calf) and safety Theo Jackson (quadriceps) were inactive on Monday.

393 — Receiving yards for Jefferson, a stunningly low pace for under 800 yards for the season. He was targeted 11 times and had three receptions for 58 yards on Monday.

The schedule stays in hard mode for the next two weeks. After the trip to Green Bay on Sunday, the Vikings go back on the road to Mexico City to face NFC-leading San Francisco on Nov. 22. The Packers scored a season-high 45 points on Sunday at New England. The 49ers are third in the league with an average of 29.4 points per game.

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Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz (11) grimaces as he walks off the field during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills in Minneapolis, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Bailey Hillesheim)

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell looks onto the field during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills in Minneapolis, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Bailey Hillesheim)

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell looks onto the field during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills in Minneapolis, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Bailey Hillesheim)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jaylen Brown hit some jumpers on the Sixers' end of the court. Jayson Tatum warmed up on his side with his Celtics teammates.

Neither All-Star decided to shoot his shot with the other.

Brown and Tatum kept their distance during pregame warmups ahead of Tuesday's game when the Celtics played Philadelphia for the first time since the summer trade that saw Brown surprisingly switch sides.

Tatum tried to dap up Brown before the opening tip with a tap on the shoulder and thump on the chest that his former teammate ignored. Tatum shook hands and exchanged a big hug with LeBron James.

Brown and Tatum were long-time teammates who won an NBA championship together in Boston only for their frosty personal relationship to interfere with what had been one of the more dynamic 1-2 duos in the league.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Brown said Sunday in Chicago. “He’s on his side; I’m on my side. Both of us are trying to win. Nothing to talk about. Check the ball up.”

Neither player talked ahead of Tuesday's game.

The game was streamed on Peacock and the network gave the showdown all the hype on social media of an old school heavyweight fight.

“Jaylen Brown vs. Jayson Tatum. For the first time ever,” the post captioned over clips of both players from their time with the Celtics and into this season.

Brown got the better of Tatum early when he picked off his old teammate's pass and fed the ball to Tyrese Maxey for a 3-pointer.

Brown said last month there was “ no beef ” between himself and Tatum, even as the dissection over the end of their relationship had dragged into the season.

“There might be a little lamb chops and some gravy,” Brown said last month in response to a social media post. “He should stay ready at all times.”

The trade has been a success for both teams. The 76ers. with Brown and James aboard, are 9-2 and the Celtics have the second-best record in the East at 8-2.

“I think it'll be interesting,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said ahead of the game. “I would imagine that they've played some 1-on-1 against each other quite a bit over the last number of years, and I would imagine that will play itself out a little bit.”

Joe Mazzulla coached both players when they won the 2024 NBA championship. Brown was the 2024 NBA Finals MVP.

He was a five-time All-Star and wound up with career-best averages of 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists last season while Tatum missed most of last season while recovering from an Achilles tendon tear that happened during the 2025 playoffs.

With both players healthy and carrying hefty salaries that would eventually swell to about 70% of Boston's salary cap, the franchise had to choose which player to keep. Boston chose Tatum.

Brown was traded to the rival 76ers in July for Paul George and draft picks.

“I think it's all something really interesting for all of us to be able to watch tonight and see how it goes,” Nurse said.

The 36-year-old George also made his return to Philadelphia after two flat seasons with the Sixers. George was poised to join Embiid and Maxey to form a Philly Big Three when he left the Clippers and signed a four-year, $212 million free-agent contract ahead of the 2024 season.

George instead was ravaged by knee and adductor injuries — among others — that robbed the nine-time All-Star of his full potential that he flashed in his three previous NBA stops.

He was suspended 25 games last season for violating the terms of the NBA’s anti-drug program. George returned for the final 10 games of the season and was a key contributor in helping the Sixers rally from 3-1 down to beat the Celtics in a first-round playoff series.

George was traded to Boston and he instead joined a list that included Jimmy Butler and James Harden of All-Star hired guns that failed to win a title with the Sixers.

George — whose 20.4 points entering the game is higher than either of his two seasons in Philadelphia — said at shootaround the game had no extra meaning.

“Had I been here eight, nine, 10 years, different story,” George said. “I was here two years. Obviously, we didn’t have the best of luck or had a great, I think, partnership in terms of my ability to stay healthy and on the floor. So that kind of played into a lot of it. It's a tremendous fan base. A great sports town to play in."

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Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum smiles as he stands on the court during the second half of an NBA Cup basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets in Charlotte, N.C., Friday, Nov. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

Philadelphia 76ers' Jaylen Brown (7) argues with referees while looking for a foul call against Chicago Bulls' Jalen Smith, center, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)