3 Takeaways from Vikings' Week 10 Win

Kirk Cousins finally won a primetime game. 

The Minnesota Vikings quarterback moved to 1-9 in night matchups by leading his team to a 19-13 win over the Chicago Bears on Monday night. 

More importantly, the Vikings' hunt for a playoff berth is alive and well now that they are one game under .500. 

The Vikings won three straight games out of their Week 7 bye, all of which were against NFC North rivals, to improve their standing in the NFC wild-card race. 

Mike Zimmer's team still needs a few more victories and some help to climb into the playoff positions. With matchups ahead versus the Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers, it should be able to cause more of a stir by the end of November. 

Kirk Cousins Played Well in 1st Primetime Win

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

Cousins totaled his second-highest passing yard total of 2020 on Monday night. 

The Vikings quarterback went 25-of-36 for 292 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He threw one interception, but on that play, the ball bounced off Adam Thielen and into Khalil Mack's arms. 

The solid performance helped shake the narrative that Cousins can't win a primetime game, and it also gave him a bit more confidence.

In the last two weeks, Cousins has 512 passing yards and five touchdown passes. The key statistic of them all is the one interception, which can't be blamed on the signal-caller. 

If Cousins remains consistent in the pocket down the stretch, the Vikings should have a solid complement to Dalvin Cook in their offensive attack and will be tough to beat. 

The key for Cousins for the rest of the season should be to avoid throwing interceptions. The Vikings are 16-4 in games in which he does not throw a pick. 

If he plays mistake-free football against Dallas and Carolina, Cousins could help push the Vikings over .500 and closer to a playoff position. 

Justin Jefferson Reinforced Rookie of the Year Candidacy

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

Justin Jefferson turned in the fourth 100-yard receiving performance of his rookie season on Monday. 

The first-round pick out of LSU brought in eight of his 10 targets and the only thing missing from his stat line was a touchdown. 

Jefferson's production was important in the first three quarters when Dalvin Cook could only manage gains of a few yards against the Chicago front seven.

Once Akiem Hicks went out with an injury, Cook found more space to run through, but that did not occur until the middle of the third period. 

Cousins was able to stretch the field with Jefferson and extend drives into Chicago territory while Cook was frustrated around the line of scrimmage. 

Jefferson is seventh in the NFL receiving yards and fourth in yards per reception. If his high pace continues, he could turn himself into the favorite for Rookie of the Year. 

Jefferson's top competition on the offensive side are two of the three rookie starting quarterbacks. Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert should get consideration over Tua Tagovailoa since he just took over the Miami starting job. 

Minnesota's rookie wide out has a chance to pad his numbers in the next two weeks, and if that occurs, he may get closer to the player he replaced. Stefon Diggs currently leads the league with 902 receiving yards. Jefferson has 762. 

Vikings Defense Did Not Let Bears Get into Any Offensive Rhythm

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

Containing an offense led by Nick Foles with its top running back out was far from the hardest task the Vikings defense faced in 2020. 

However, Minnesota's defensive unit still deserves plenty of credit for how they handled the road matchup.

Four Vikings recorded multiple quarterback hits, Eric Wilson and Jeff Gladney both had two tackles for loss and Wilson and D.J. Wonnum both recorded a sack each. 

Minnesota's constant pressure on Foles and its stuffing of the run game led to the allowance of 149 total yards. 

The Vikings defense only allowed two field-goal drives. Chicago's touchdown came on a Cordarrelle Patterson kickoff return to start the second half. 

The concession of 149 total yards, 108 passing yards and 41 rushing yards are all season bests for the Vikings.

If Minnesota applies the concepts used to shut down the Bears in the next two games, it could hold Dallas and Carolina to minimal gains as well. 

The Vikings may not hold another opponent under 200 total yards, but if they are able to get pressure in the backfield and limit big plays, they should be in great shape to finish off November with two more wins.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference.