Minnesota Vikings (9-2) vs New York Jets (7-4)
Sunday, December 04, 2022 at 1:00 pm
The Vikings (9-2) can clinch their first NFC North title in five seasons with Cousins by beating the Jets and having Jacksonville win at Detroit (4-7), but they've largely kept their feelings about their dominance in the division to themselves with the obvious bigger picture of seeding for the NFC playoffs in the background.
"I never think about future weeks, or really can't afford to look in the rearview mirror either. It's got to be all about this week and getting a win," Cousins said, adding: "There are many teams who at this stage of the game are hovering around .500, and then they end up playing for the Super Bowl, so you understand how this league will beat you up and go back and forth."
The Jets (7-4) are one game out of the AFC East lead, in an even more foreign place with meaningful games ahead in December. They haven't been to the playoffs in 12 years.
"It's not like it's an elephant in the room. It's not like you're not going to acknowledge it, but none of it matters at the end of the day," Jets coach Robert Saleh said. "You've got to quickly refocus back to what's important, and what's important is this moment."