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Early Look: Vikings & Jaguars Prep for 1st Meeting at U.S. Bank Stadium

View photos of games between the Vikings and Jaguars through the years.

EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings got back on the winning track with a gutsy comeback victory Sunday, but now need to keep the momentum going in Week 13.

Minnesota is 5-6, and hosts 1-10 Jacksonville Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Jaguars have lost 10 straight contests and will be playing their first regular-season game at the venue.

The Vikings currently sit one game out of a Wild Card spot in the NFC playoff picture, as the 6-5 Cardinals are in the seventh and final position as of now.

Here's an Early Look at the Vikings Week 13 matchup against the Jaguars, presented by Minnesota Eye Consultants, the Proud Ophthalmology Partner of the Minnesota Vikings.

Passing: Kirk Cousins capped off an impressive November with another great outing. He completed 34 of 45 passes for 307 yards with three scores and no interceptions. He had a passer rating of 115.7, his fifth straight game above 100.

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The quarterback was a key reason why the Vikings won four of five games this past month, completing 105 of 145 passes (72.4 percent) for 1,293 yards with 12 touchdowns and just one interception.

Cousins has now completed 218 of 320 passes (68.1 percent) for 2,768 yards with 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He has a passer rating of 104.5.

It remains to be seen who will start at quarterback for Jacksonville on Sunday.

Gardner Minshew II started the Jaguars first seven games before suffering an injury. Rookie Jake Luton then started three games before Jacksonville went with veteran Mike Glennon in Sunday's 27-25 loss to Cleveland.

Minshew has completed 176 of 267 passes (65.9 percent) for 1,855 yards with 13 touchdowns and five interceptions. He has a passer rating of 94.4 this season.

Rushing: Dalvin Cook was held in check Sunday, but kept Carolina's defense honest with 18 carries for 61 yards. Sunday marked just the second time that Cook didn't find the end zone in 2020.

Cook suffered an ankle injury in the third quarter but returned. Alexander Mattison had just two carries for 6 yards.

Cook ranks second in the NFL with 1,130 rushing yards and leads the NFL with 13 rushing touchdowns. Minnesota ranks sixth in the NFL at 145.7 rushing yards per game.

The Jaguars are 25th at 101.2 rushing yards per game. Jacksonville is led by undrafted rookie running back James Robinson, who had 22 carries for 128 yards and a score Sunday.

Robinson now has four 100-yard rushing games in 2020. He leads Jacksonville with 890 rushing yards and six scores.

Receiving: Adam Thielen missed Sunday's game, but others stepped up in his absence.

Bisi Johnson (74 yards), Justin Jefferson (70 yards and 2 TDs), Kyle Rudolph (68 yards) and Chad Beebe (63 yards and a score) each had seven catches on Sunday.

Beebe's first-career touchdown occurred with 46 seconds left in regulation and less than two minutes of game time after he muffed a punt.

Jefferson leads the team in receptions (52) and yards (918). His six touchdowns include two in Week 12 against Carolina for the second multi-score game of his career.

Thielen is tied for second the league with 11 touchdown catches, and he has 49 catches for 646 yards. Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer said Monday that he is hopeful Thielen comes off the Reserve/COVID-19 list this week.

Jacksonville is led by wide receivers DJ Chark and Keelan Cole, who each have four touchdown catches.

Chark, who did not play in Week 12, has team highs of 41 catches and 534 yards. Cole has 39 receptions for 497 yards, and Robinson has added 36 catches for 280 yards.

Jacksonville's offense ranks 25th with 331.4 yards per game. Minnesota is seventh at 387.1.

View photos of the Vikings 53-man roster as of January 4, 2021.

Defense: The Vikings defense played well Sunday, only allowing 13 points, which was critical since Carolina scored a pair of defensive touchdowns on back-to-back plays.

Minnesota was especially stout in the red zone, as the Panthers managed three points on three trips inside the 20-yard line. D.J. Wonnum had a blocked field goal, and Eric Kendricks had an interception on the other drives.

Eric Wilson leads the Vikings with 3.0 sacks and is tied for the team lead with Kendricks and Harrison Smith with three interceptions. Kendricks has three picks in his past four games.

The Vikings allowed 374 yards to the Panthers and now rank tied for 23rd in the league with 382.0 yards allowed per game.

Jacksonville has allowed 415.6 yards per game, which ranks 31st this season. The Jaguars allowed 459 yards to the Browns in Week 12.

Josh Allen, who is on Injured Reserve, and Dawuane Smoot share the team lead with 2.5 sacks, and Sidney Jones IV has a pair of interceptions.

Special Teams: Minnesota had another up-and-down day in this phase.

The good included Wonnum's blocked field goal, but Beebe's muffed punt and a 20-yard punt return allowed highlighted the miscues.

Dan Bailey hit both of his extra point attempts and also was true on field goals of 53 and 25 yards. Bailey is now 10-for-12 on field goals and has made 25 of 27 extra points in 2020.

Britton Colquitt averaged 51.0 yards per punt on three kicks, but he had a net average of 44.3 yards.

Returner K.J. Osborn was inactive. Ameer Abdullah didn't record a kickoff return, and Beebe had zero yards on two returns. Minnesota ranks last in the NFL with an average of just 1.4 yards per punt return.

Jacksonville has used six different kickers this season. Chase McLaughlin, who was on Minnesota's practice squad earlier this season, could be an option to kick Sunday.

Punter Logan Cooke averages 46.9 yards per punt this season.

Cole has a 91-yard punt return for a touchdown in 2020. Chris Claybooks leads the Jaguars with nine kick returns for 191 yards.

Pro Bowl voting is open

Voting for the 2021 Pro Bowl is open, and you can help your favorite Vikings get into the annual All-Star game.

You can vote here, and also be sure to check out the fun video below.

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