Kirk Cousins Trade Creates Massive Shift in Vikings vs. Packers Odds for NFL Week 10

The Minnesota Vikings made the biggest splash in the NFL ahead of the trade deadline, acquiring veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins from the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for a third-round pick.

With former No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray set to miss more than just Week 9 with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, the Vikings were desperate to upgrade at quarterback after falling to 6-2. Carson Wentz was awful on Monday night in a loss to the Buffalo Bills, and the Vikings couldn't afford to waste an all-time season from their defense.

Cousins' acquisition impacted the Vikings' odds across the betting market. Minnesota went from +2400 to +2200 to win the Super Bowl this season at DraftKings Sportsbook, and it also jumped to -250 to make the playoffs. That's significant, as the Vikings have better playoff odds than the Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks in the NFC.

Now, with Cousins likely in line to play against Green Bay in Week 10, the Vikings are also gaining some ground in the odds for that matchup. Following Monday's loss to Buffalo, DraftKings Sportsbook had moved the Vikings to 4.5-point underdogs on the road after they opened as three-point underdogs on Sunday night.

The Packers have won five of their last six games, so this was always going to be a tough matchup on the road, even though the Vikings beat Green Bay in Week 1. Now, with Cousins in the fold, the line has shifted down to Vikings +3.5 at the best betting sites. That's interesting since DraftKings is reporting that just 20 percent of the moneyline bets and 34 percent of the spread bets in this game are on the Vikings.

Clearly, Cousins is viewed as a massive upgrade at quarterback for a Vikings team that enters Week 10 at No. 31 in the league in EPA/Play and No. 30 in success rate. Only the Los Angeles Chargers -- who have yet to win a game this season -- have a worse EPA/Play on offense.

It's pretty shocking that the Vikings are 6-2, and they're hoping Cousins can make a quick adjustment to play in Week 10. After all, Cousins spent multiple seasons in Minnesota and has ran an offense very similar to the Vikings' current scheme at previous stops in his career. That should make it easier for him to start on a short week.

This season, Cousins had led the Raiders to a 4-5 start, throwing for 2,340 yards, 20 scores and eight picks. He's not nearly as mobile as he was earlier in his career, but Cousins is certainly an upgrade over Wentz, who was unable to move the Vikings' offense in the loss to Buffalo.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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