The NFL trade deadline has come and gone, with the Minnesota Vikings making the biggest move on Tuesday. After their loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football, it was clear the Vikings needed help at quarterback. Kyler Murray is injured, and Carson Wentz played one of the worst games from any quarterback this season, completing 8 of 25 passes for 81 yards with two interceptions and an 8.9 passer rating.

The Vikings have one of, if not the best, defenses in the NFL, and they needed to improve at quarterback to give them the best chance to reach the playoffs. That is why they went out and traded for a familiar face. The Vikings acquired Kirk Cousins from the Las Vegas Raiders for a 2027 third-round pick.

Cousins has played well this season for the Raiders. With No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza showing the Raiders he was ready to take over, Las Vegas was willing to move Cousins for a third-round pick. Cousins will immediately slide in as the starting quarterback and should at least stabilize the offense. However, not everyone thinks Cousins will make a major impact on the Vikings’ season.

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Despite the Vikings’ move to improve their offense, former NFL player Emmanuel Acho isn’t confident it will make much of a difference. Acho said on the “Speakeasy” podcast that Cousins is not enough to lead them to the Super Bowl.

He said, “Are you so confident in the defense that Kirk Cousins can win a Super Bowl because I’m still not…Let’s not now act like Kirk Cousins is Peyton Manning. Kirk Cousins is still who Kirk Cousins is; he’s competent enough to get you to the playoffs.”

Cousins should be able to move the ball much more effectively, and that will give the Vikings’ defense a chance to rest and not be on the field all game long. On Monday Night, the Vikings’ defense was on the field for 79 plays. That is not exactly a winning formula, as the defense clearly ran out of gas.

According to PFN, Cousins has an 80.5 QB Impact Rating this season, which ranks 11th in the NFL. Despite the Raiders’ losses, Cousins has thrown the ball well, completing 64.1% of his passes for 2,340 yards and 20 touchdowns with eight interceptions.

Even at 38, Cousins is familiar with Minnesota and its top wide receiver, Justin Jefferson. Cousins should be ready to play this weekend, and the Vikings need him to be effective. They are facing a division rival, the Green Bay Packers, in a game they need to win.

Green Bay will be a tough test for Cousins in his first game back in purple. However, if he can help control the clock and avoid turnovers, that may be enough for the Vikings’ defense to lead them to victory.