Week 8: Vikings' Keys to Victory

Kirk Cousins will make his return to Washington for the first time since being traded and will look to continue to keep the Vikings rolling against the Commanders, who are currently riding a win streak of their own. Here are some keys if the Vikings want to come out victorious on Sunday:

1. Better offensive line play. Over the last two weeks the Vikings interior has not been good. They have been allowing a ton of pressure and sacks to the quarterback which is stalling out drives. They need to improve against a tough front seven of the Commanders and get back to early season form. Ed Ingram, specifically, needs to do a better job or this could be a tough day for the o-line once again.
2. Get new tight end TJ Hockenson involved. Over the trade deadline the Vikings went out and got a top 10 tight end from the Lions to help the offense generate even more firepower. Now that they have this new addition the Vikings should get him involved early and help create opportunities for others.
3. Defense take another step forward. For the past few weeks, it seems as if the defense has been making progress and they will look to continue that on the road this Sunday. Smith has been playing at an elite level, tied for first in the league in sacks and most tackles for loss. The great play of the front seven has also helped this secondary. Hopefully this group will continue to find even more consistency.