Scoggins: Kirk Cousins trade is an act of desperation for Vikings — a necessary one

The Monday night meltdown represented the point of no return. Hope, as the saying goes, is not a strategy. The Vikings had no other option than to trade for a quarterback because they don’t have one on the roster capable of operating at a basic, functional level. Continuing down that path would be organizational malpractice given that their defense and special teams are playing at a championship level. The return of Kirk Cousins makes the most sense. Re-acquiring him cost a third-round draft pick, but desperation comes with a price tag. Make no mistake, Kevin O’Connell is desperate. The Las Vegas Raiders knew it. The entire NFL knew it. Advertisement O’Connell’s offense is broken, incapable of producing at an acceptable level. The performance by Carson Wentz against the Bills was an embarrassment broadcast to a prime-time national audience. Those optics and O’Connell’s grim mood afterward reinforced that action was coming. The Vikings are wasting a historically great defense and Justin Jefferson’s prime years by fiddling around at quarterback. A 6-0 start felt troubling all along because of the offense’s ineptitude that has now caught up to them. The rest of the NFC North is gaining steam. To sit idle likely would have caused the Vikings to tumble out of the playoff race and into some hard internal questions. O’Connell’s job should be scrutinized heavily. He has not won a playoff game in Minnesota. His offense is a mess. The roster is constructed to contend except at the most important position, and he is the one who has been pulling strings in that area.