The most inevitable trade amid this year's deadline just went down, and it's one that should have the Detroit Lions just a smidge worried about their rematch against the Minnesota Vikings later this season.
After struggling through games helmed by Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz, the Vikings traded for former quarterback Kirk Cousins from the Las Vegas Raiders, per The Ringer's Tom Pelissero. In exchange for a third-rounder, Las Vegas is going to kick-start their Fernando Mendoza experiment, while Minnesota will finally have a competent starting quarterback for the rest of this season.
Cousins getting injected back into the Vikings system suddenly makes them a team to fear in the NFC North. They're obviously off to an excellent start with a 6-2 record, but that's mostly thanks to the work of their league-best defense. Now, their offense might be unlocked, and that makes them a squad to legitimately worry about.
Lions' next matchup vs. Vikings could look a lot different
Detroit managed to hand Minnesota their first loss of the season back in Week 8, but that was helped a ton by the fact that Murray looked abysmal in that contest. While the Lions were getting some great pressure on him, Murray was missing a ton of easy looks downfield and a lot of opportunities to make Detroit's porous secondary pay.
READ MORE: Lions’ defense waking up should push team toward a cornerback-minded trade deadline
Cousins has 20 touchdowns on the year - in addition to eight interceptions - and has been a solid signal caller for the Raiders as they are seeking to right themselves within the AFC West. He's a seasoned veteran who, most importantly, knows Kevin O'Connell's system well. He has been the only quarterback in recent memory that has excelled under KOC.
Minnesota could get scarier with one more move
Another area that the Vikings could stand to improve in is at running back. There are a few potential options on the market, with the most likely target for them being someone like Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard. Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer mentioned in recent days that Pollard could likely be had for a 4th-round pick.
The Vikings' offense could be totally revitalized if they follow up their Cousins move with Pollard. Without it, though, it's hard to see a world where Minnesota doesn't improve immediately. They have receivers like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson in tow, and no one to throw to them. That just changed.
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