Vikings' 0-2 start both different and the same as last season

Sep. 23—The Vikings started 0-2 last year and looked really bad while being outscored by an average of 13 points. This season, they're again 0-2, losing games by three points in overtime and by one point.

So, is there a difference between the 0-2 starts? It depends on whom you ask.

"We go back and look at the two games that we lost and compare them to last year, if you want to do that, because it's different," Vikings running back Dalvin Cook said Wednesday. "You see the grit in the teams and you see it's different. ...You can see the difference in what's going on and how things are happening. We're a confident group."

Hall of fame coach Bill Parcells, though, once said, "You are what your record says you are." On Wednesday, Vikings co-defensive coordinator Andre Patterson offered his own version of that quote.

Patterson said it doesn't matter that the two losses have been close. The Vikings fell 27-24 in Week 1 at Cincinnati after Cook lost a fumble at the Bengals' 39 late in overtime. They lost 34-33 at Arizona last Sunday when Greg Joseph missed a 37-yard field goal on the final play.

"0-2 is 0-2," Patterson said. "That's who we are. Some people say, 'You're one fumble and one missed kick away from being 2-0,' right? But we're 0-2. That's who we are. You've got to live with it, you've got to accept it, and you move on and go to the next one. But you can't get caught up in all of the could-have, would-have, should-haves."

Next up for the Vikings is Sunday's home opener against Seattle. After no tickets were sold for any games last season because of the coronavirus pandemic, it will mark the first regular-season game at U.S. Bank Stadium with fans since Dec. 29, 2019 against Chicago.

"At this stage, it's time to get some wins," Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said.

The Vikings are obviously hoping there won't end up being one similarity between last year and this season. Minnesota started 0-3 in 2020 before finishing 7-9.

For now, the Vikings are off to the 14th 0-2 start in team history. In the first 13 such seasons, they made the playoffs just once, going 10-6 in 2008 and winning the NFC North.

"You see all kinds of stuff," Patterson said. "Teams that are 0-2 have this kind of percentage to make the playoffs. C'mon. Let's be real. You've got 15 games to go, man. You've got to go play. ... The bottom line is this: You've got to go play Sunday, better than Seattle, and win. And then when you win that, you've got to go play better the next week and win."

The Vikings play their next three games at home, with Cleveland on Oct. 3 and Detroit on Oct. 10 following the Seahawks into U.S. Bank Stadium. Pardon Cook if he might be looking a bit ahead.

"We could go on a tear for three straight weeks," he said.

There is reason to believe that could the case if the Vikings can put together complete games. The defense has had its share of ups and downs, but the offense looks to be finding its groove.

Cook, who sat out practice Wednesday after hurting his ankle at Arizona but is expected to play Sunday, is fourth in the NFL in rushing with 192 yards. Kirk Cousins, who has thrown for 595 yards and five touchdowns, is ranked by Pro Football Focus as the NFL's fourth-best quarterback.

"He's done a good job of getting the ball to the right place," Zimmer said of Cousins. "His leadership has been a lot better this year, just the way he's gone about his business and not just being to himself, but being around the guys more."

Cousins at first dismissed the part about being a better leader, saying he's "been the same guy all the way through." But then he said that being in his fourth Vikings season he has "a little bit more ability to have assimilated and understand how this organization works."

One thing is for sure: Cousins is off to a much better start than last season when he threw four interceptions in the first two games and had 10 interceptions by the Vikings were 1-5.

So what is the comparison that Cousins offers between the Vikings' 0-2 starts in 2020 and 2021?

"We believe in our locker room and the group we have and what we're doing, but the results are all that matters, and that's what we're measured by," he said. "So we understand in this league, winning and losing is really what it's all about, in terms of how you're measured. So we've got to be able to win."