This article is part of our NFL Observations series.
Running backs might not matter in many cases, but to the Vikings Dalvin Cook matters a great deal. Without him, the Vikings' offense had no rhythm whatsoever, and they were outgained 383 to 139 on their home field.
• Kirk Cousins ia a good pocket passer, but when the rush comes, he's toast. While all quarterbacks struggle in the face of pressure, Cousins in particular cannot improvise, and without the short throws to a dangerous Cook to take the heat off, he had nowhere to go. The modern NFL has dynamic players at the position like Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson -- by comparison Cousins seems like a relic from another era.
• Mike Boone was a popular pickup, and he let owners down big time. He had little room to run, and he's not a weapon in the passing game.
• Adam Thielen looks like he's not completely healthy. Stefon Diggs caught a TD and was wide open on another catch, but for the most part Cousins didn't have time to get the ball to his wideouts.
• Aaron Rodgers threw a bad pick and didn't make any brilliant plays, but he converted key third downs to Allen Lazard and Davante Adams, and Aaron Jones did the rest.
• Jones lost a fumble early, but he made up for it, using his speed to gash the Vikings defense in the second half. I'd still like to see the Packers design more passes for him as he's their only explosive playmaker.
• Adams had a big day -- 16-13-116-0 -- but that comes out to 7.25 yards per target. Unless the Packers defense dominates in the playoffs like it did Monday night, they'll need someone to make a vertical play. But for PPR purposes, Adams is all the way back from his toe injury.
• It's crazy, but if the Seahawks beat the 49ers in Seattle, and the Packers beat the Lions, the Packers would be the No. 1 seed in the NFC, making them one of the weaker top seeds in recent memory.
