3 takeaways for the Vikings after a wild Divisional Playoff weekend

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There were enough twists and turns over the weekend to fill a daytime soap opera. Unfortunately, the Minnesota Vikings had to watch it all unfold from home after another disappointing year of not making it to the postseason.

Quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen dueled it out like Thanos fighting the Avengers in some galactic battle to decide the fate of the universe. The Kansas City Chiefs eked out a 42-36 overtime victory over the Buffalo Bills to punch their ticket to their fourth straight AFC Championship game.

And then there was Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, the Benjamin Button of sports, nearly engineering a 24-point comeback against a Los Angeles Rams team with a defense the equivalent of The Monstars from the original “Space Jam” movie.

It was a fun spectacle to take in, but the hope is that the Vikings can be one of the teams competing for a chance to go to a Super Bowl next season. Here are three takeaways after a wild Divisional Playoff weekend.

List

Best Twitter reactions to Packers loss with a Vikings twist

Offense can win championships

The Vikings should actually be encouraged after seeing the damage done by other high-powered offenses in the league, especially the Chiefs and Bills. Even the Buccaneers showed some offensive burst in the second half against the almighty Rams defense.

In this day and age, offense can win championships, too.

In the last 10 years, the Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos are the only teams to win a Super Bowl without a top-10 scoring offense. The Vikings have leaned heavily on the defensive side of the ball when it comes to head coaching hires, but they might reconsider things this time around with the explosive talent they have offensively.

Buffalo had the No. 1-ranked defense in the league heading into Sunday’s matchup with the Chiefs, and they didn’t even come close to stopping Mahomes and company. Imagine an offensive mind like Eric Bieniemy overseeing an offensive skilled group of Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, Dalvin Cook, Irv Smith Jr. and K.J. Osborn.

Whew! It would cause headaches for opposing defenses.

Eric Bieniemy might be the right guy

We’ll keep the topic on Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.

It would be fun to see what he could do with all of the talent the Vikings have on offense. There’s no reason for them not to be a top-10 scoring team. You’d be hard-pressed to find a good reason for them not to be one of the most explosive offensive teams in the league, period.

But Bieniemy could come in and change all of that after leading the best offense in football for multiple years. And that’s more than just a pipe dream of a take, too.

Chiefs executive director of player personnel Ryan Poles is one of the top general manager candidates for the Vikings, and he might want to keep that connection with Bieniemy if he lands the job.

Be careful what you wish for

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers might win league MVP this season, and he still lost to Jimmy Garoppolo and the San Francisco 49ers. It’s a reminder that people should be careful what they wish for in regards to Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins.

It’s hard to find a decent quarterback in the NFL, much less a great one. Cousins may not be elite like Mahomes or even Allen, but he’s without question a really good player that can be part of a winning team.

This is where finding the right GM and head coach really comes into play. The key is getting the pieces right around Cousins. Minnesota needs to fix their offensive line issues and succeed in the defensive renovation project. It would also help to have a guy calling plays that isn’t afraid to let Cousins continue to open things up a bit more downfield.

The Vikings have the weapons. It’s time to let their quarterback use them.

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