DAILY CLIPS TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2020 LOCAL NEWS: Tuesday, October 6, 2020 Star Tribune Vikings' win over Texans shows Justin Jefferson has entered Kirk Cousins' circle of trust By Ben Goessling https://www.startribune.com/vikings-win-over-texans-shows-justin-jefferson-has-entered-kirk-cousins-circle-of- trust/572637832/ Vikings' rookie cornerbacks face another test in Seattle By Andrew Krammer https://www.startribune.com/vikings-rookie-cornerbacks-face-another-test-in-seattle/572645092/ Pioneer Press Vikings rookie cornerback Cameron Dantzler slowly progressing By Dane Mizutani https://www.twincities.com/2020/10/05/vikings-rookie-cameron-dantzler-returns-from-injury-with-lots-to-learn/ Vikings’ Dalvin Cook starting to pile up rushing yards, and TDs, too By Dane Mizutani https://www.twincities.com/2020/10/05/dalvin-cook-proving-vikings-right-for-inking-him-to-long-term-deal/ The Athletic Vikings takeaways: Just how good can the fast-starting Justin Jefferson be? By Arif Hasan https://theathletic.com/2116609/2020/10/05/justin-jefferson-vikings-takeaways-how-good-can-he-be/ Purple Insider What did the Vikings' win over the Texans mean? By Matthew Coller https://purpleinsider.substack.com/p/what-did-the-vikings-win-over-the NATIONAL NEWS: Tuesday, October 6, 2020 ESPN Vikings find their formula for success in first win of season By Courtney Cronin https://www.espn.com/blog/minnesota-vikings/post/_/id/30369/vikings-find-their-formula-for-success-in-first-win-of- season Associated Press Justin time: Vikings have full trust in rookie WR Jefferson By Dave Campbell https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-nfl-minnesota-vikings-football-minnesota- 830bb3bcd0c3bae28bf9f927c7929017 Maven Media Harrison Smith Unlikely to Be Suspended After Week 4 Ejection By Will Ragatz https://www.si.com/nfl/vikings/news/harrison-smith-unlikely-suspended-week-4-ejection-akins-seahawks With Second Straight 100-Yard Game, Justin Jefferson Proves He's Here to Stay By Will Ragatz https://www.si.com/nfl/vikings/news/justin-jefferson-vikings-100-yards-texans-rookie-lsu VIKINGS ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK: Tuesday, October 6, 2020 Presser Points: Zimmer Recaps Sunday's Win Over Texans By Eric Smith https://www.vikings.com/news/mike-zimmer-recaps-sunday-s-win-over-texans After Further Review: Vikings Gain Ground on Edge of Texans Defense By Craig Peters https://www.vikings.com/news/vikings-gain-ground-on-edge-of-texans-defense Rookie CBs Dantzler & Gladney Take Pride in Dual Start at Houston By Lindsey Young https://www.vikings.com/news/cameron-dantzler-jeff-gladney-pride-in-dual-start-at-houston Stats That Stood Out: Vikings-Texans in Week 4 By Craig Peters https://www.vikings.com/news/stats-that-stood-out-vikings-texans-in-week-4 Lunchbreak: Vikings Earn B+ Grade for Win over Texans By Lindsey Young https://www.vikings.com/news/lunchbreak-vikings-earn-b-grade-for-win-over-texans PUBLICATION: Star Tribune DATE: 10/6/20 Vikings' win over Texans shows Justin Jefferson has entered Kirk Cousins' circle of trust By Ben Goessling Welcome to our morning-after Vikings blog, where we’ll revisit every game by looking at two players who stood out, two concerns for the team, two trends to watch and one big question. Here we go: After he came off the field following the Vikings' final touchdown drive of their 31-23 win over the Texans on Sunday, Kirk Cousins was met by backup quarterback Sean Mannion, who asked in jest, "You been working on back- shoulders to Justin?" It was a moment of levity between two passers who know the particular challenges of the back-shoulder throw — the hours of practice needed to perfect its timing and placement, the confidence it requires in a receiver's attention to detail and body control. Cousins simply does not have much of the first commodity with rookie receiver Justin Jefferson after a shortened training camp and canceled preseason. So, when the Vikings needed to convert a third-and-6 in the fourth quarter on Sunday, Cousins banked on the second. "At some point, you just got to play and believe he can do it," Cousins said of Jefferson. "And after he adjusted, found the ball, made the catch, kept his feet in bounds and made the play, I looked at whoever I was with — Dalvin [Cook] or Adam [Thielen] — as we were moving up the field and said, '18 can play. That's not easy to do.' Yeah, are we going to build trust over time? Yes, we're going to build trust. But some of the things we're doing, there is no trust. It's just raw ability and you're putting the ball out there hoping, believing that he's going to be able to make it happen." The 22-yard back-shoulder throw Cousins completed to Jefferson, against man coverage from Texans cornerback Phillip Gaines, was the first-round pick's fourth and final catch on a 103-yard day. It made him the sixth rookie in Vikings history with back-to-back 100-yard receiving games, and it illustrated just how quickly he's worked his way onto the short list of Cousins' most trusted targets. Cousins completed passes to only four receivers on Sunday — Thielen, Jefferson, Cook and Kyle Rudolph — and his average completion to Jefferson came with only 2.3 yards of separation from the closest defender, according to NFL Next Gen Stats (the league average this week was 2.84). The back-shoulder throw led to a 25-yard Cousins-to- Thielen connection with the quarterback rolling to his right, and ultimately set up the Alexander Mattison touchdown the Vikings would need to win the game. “That's Kirk just trusting me to make that play," Jefferson said. "The funny part about it is we've never really worked on those back-shoulder throws, and to be able to go out there and do it in the game and complete for the first down, that's trust right there." Trust, particularly for Cousins, seems to be a valuable commodity. Consider the much-discussed deep shot he took to Tajae Sharpe on fourth-and-3 against the Packers in Week 1, when the quarterback overthrew Sharpe and coach Mike Zimmer intimated after the game he would have rather Cousins tried Thielen on the other side. Cousins pointed out the safety shaded to Thielen's side of the field, saying after the game he generally doesn't like throwing go balls with a safety over the top of a receiver. The play became an emblem for the idea Cousins doesn't trust himself enough with tight-window throws or give his receivers enough chances to make plays, and on the Vikings' final series of the third quarter on Sunday, he took a second-down sack when he hitched with Jefferson open on a corner route. On the following play, Cousins floated a throw for Jefferson against man coverage from Vernon Hargreaves, fitting the throw into a window where Jefferson could pluck it over the top of Hargreaves for 23 yards as Cousins got hit. Then Cousins hit Kyle Rudolph for 19 yards along the Vikings' sideline while retreating and falling away from the Texans' pass rush. The Vikings' last two scoring drives on Sunday showed what the quarterback can do when he believes in his arm strength and his receivers, and what happens when he hesitates. It was a source of consternation in the relationship between Cousins and former Washington coach Jay Gruden, and it's an area where the Vikings have tried to nudge Cousins toward playing with more assertiveness. The Vikings' final two touchdown drives hinged on the fact he let it fly when it mattered most. “It's just a feeling that you have," Zimmer said Sunday. "I think the more confidence he gets in understanding he can make those, the more he'll do them." Cousins has now targeted Thielen or Jefferson with 51 of his 100 passes this season, and even as Stefon Diggs thrives with a 4-0 Bills team, Jefferson is quickly showing he can join Thielen as the kind of downfield option Cousins enjoyed with Diggs. Jefferson is tied for the league lead with eight catches of 20 yards or more; Diggs has the same number for Buffalo. As the Vikings head home from Houston and prepare for a Sunday night matchup in Seattle (albeit in a less harrowing environment than CenturyLink Field would present with a capacity crowd), they'll likely need to be ready for a shootout with Russell Wilson. Jefferson's emergence, and Cousins' growing trust in him, gives the Vikings another reason to think they can compete in such a game. Here's a look at one other player who stood out in Sunday's 31-23 win: D.J. Wonnum:We could highlight a number of the usual suspects here — Cook ran for a forceful 130 yards, Thielen caught eight passes and Eric Kendricks combined 12 tackles with an impressive third-and-9 pass breakup — but we'll go with Wonnum, the rookie defensive end who played 18 snaps on Sunday and is getting a little more work in the Vikings' base defense. He raced in untouched for an easy sack of Deshaun Watson on Sunday, and tackled David Johnson after a four-yard gain on second down in the second quarter. Two areas of concern Secondary in pass coverage:The Vikings were in a difficult spot on Sunday after Harrison Smith was ejected late in the second quarter. Zimmer said the team had worked George Iloka as its backup nickel corner with Mike Hughes injured, adding he asked Iloka on the sideline "if he knows what he's doing at safety" to make sure he could handle his assignments after a position switch.