Three things about Sunday's Vikings loss to New Orleans

According to Pro Football Focus, Kirk Cousins was pressured on 48.9 percent of his dropbacks Sunday night, which was the second-highest pressure rate any quarterback faced in Week 8. Cousins was rolling to his right while trying to evade a defender on the interception he had returned for a touchdown, and was sacked four times while taking a total of nine hits. As the Vikings try to curtail the turnovers that likely cost them Sunday's game, they'll have to contend with the fact there's only so much they can do when Cousins is under so much pressure.

2. Murray effective again

With running back Dalvin Cook out again because of a strained hamstring, Latavius Murray continued to do a solid job in a multifaceted role. Murray carried 13 times for 56 yards and a touchdown, also catching five passes for 39 yards. He picked up a Saints blitz on the 14-yard catch Adam Thielen made after picking the ball off the top of P.J. Williams' head, slowing down two Saints defenders who came into the backfield.

Everson Griffen played 37 of the Vikings' 53 defensive snaps Sunday in his return to the field, and assuming Griffen continues to work back toward his normal role at right end, it will mean some changes for defensive end Stephen Weatherly. He started at left end on Sunday night, as he'd done during Griffen's absence, and pressured Drew Brees on what turned out to be the quarterback's first interception of the season, but played only 25 snaps Sunday. Weatherly could see his work come in a rotational role going forward; the Vikings used him in tandems with both Griffen and Danielle Hunter at different times Sunday night.

BEN GOESSLING