LA Chargers may have saved the New York Jets' season in Week 3
By Jason Reed
Both the LA Chargers and Minnesota Vikings entered Week 3 with a 0-2 record. While anything is possible, it is incredibly hard to dig out of a 0-3 hole and still make the playoffs. For that reason, this game truly was the NFL's first loser-leaves-town match of the season.
It came down to the final seconds (as everyone expected) but when the dust finally settled, the Chargers emerged with the win. Now the Bolts are looking to get back on track this season while the Vikings might be looking ahead to the future.
This mindset could benefit other teams in the NFL as well. If Minnesota does decide to take a future-first approach then the team could look to trade prominent players for draft capital. If that is the case, and Kirk Cousins is on the market, there is going to be one team in particular that should be interested.
"Kirk Cousins has to be the most intriguing name for the New York Jets..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 25, 2023
To my knowledge there's nothing to that right now but it's a logical fit if the Vikings are willing to do that" ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive #TakeFlight pic.twitter.com/4VRbuLoYAY
The Chargers may have saved the Jets season by beating the Vikings
Whether or not this happens all depends if Minnesota is realistic about the current situation or if the team is going to try and cling to relevancy and keep Cousins in town. If the Vikings would have won in Week 3 then the odds of trading Cousins would have probably been slim to none.
But with the Chargers handing the team its third loss of the year it is much more likely that Minnesota will be in a place to sell. After all, the schedule doesn't get much easier for the Vikings and the team could be 2-6 after eight games this season.
New York hasn't given up on Zach Wilson yet but the team would be foolish to let him play the rest of the season as well. The Jets have a really strong roster and just need a capable quarterback under center. Cousins is more than capable, and as an expiring contract, would not conflict with Aaron Rodgers in 2024.
This could actually come back to bite the Chargers in the long run if this indeed happened. The Jets will be in the mix for a playoff spot in the AFC and with Cousins, the team could rally to outlast the Chargers. In a perfect world, New York would continue to commit to Wilson until it was too little, too late.
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