The human brain has been called the most powerful computer in the world, one that performs millions of tasks every second.
This power has a function of seeking out patterns in order to make sense of and simplify complex issues. These patterns take the form of stories — and once our brains latch onto a good narrative, identifying facts and evidence to support it becomes key to the pattern and the story.
The brain of an average Vikings fan is likely very similar to that of the average overall citizen, albeit with more wear and tear.
Like any good sports fan, and any person in general, Vikings fans desperately seek out patterns and stories in order to make sense of their team. On a macro level: every failure in a big game becomes part of a larger story about how the franchise is "cursed," which may or may not be a real thing (and may or may not be a self-fulfilling prophecy).
On a more fine-tuned recent level, Vikings fans have latched hard onto the narrative that quarterback Kirk Cousins performs poorly in big games — specifically those against high-quality opponents in prime time.
But after a 37-30 loss Monday in Seattle, dropping Cousins to 0-8 on Monday Night Football, there were two big takeaways when thinking about the game and absorbing reactions:
1 It was one of those strange games where a linear story was hard to assemble, at least in terms of what went wrong.
Cousins could have been more decisive in the third quarter as the game was getting out of hand, and his 4th-and-3 pass late was probably not his best read. But he also led two fourth-quarter TD drives that at least put the Vikings in position to win a game that looked to be getting out of hand. He did so while key offensive players were injured, and if you are looking to dole out blame he falls pretty far down the list.
