Iced-out Kirk Cousins celebrates Vikings’ 20-17 win over Commanders

MINNEAPOLIS - The Minnesota Vikings flew home 7-1 and winners of six straight games after a 20-17 victory at the Washington Commanders on Sunday, and the party started from the moment the team got back into the locker room.

Kirk Cousins finished 22-of-40 passing for 265 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, and engineered three fourth quarter scoring drives with the Vikings trailing 17-7. In Cousins’ first return to Washington, he got a game ball and broke the team down in the locker room with a "You like that?!"

During Kevin O’Connell’s post game speech, he said in reference to Cousins, "Get him the chains!"

Even owner Zygi Wilf is seen dancing in the locker room.

The party turned up a notch when the team got on the plane home. A shirtless Cousins is on video dancing, and wearing several of his teammates’ diamond chains. The trend started after the Vikings beat the New Orleans Saints in London, and Cousins wore Christian Darrisaw’s chain home.

"It’s those moments where you can kind of let loose a little bit and just enjoy time with your teammates," Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said Monday. "I definitely enjoy seeing Kirk enjoy himself like that, because the special part about it is his teammates know what he pours into it each and every week, what he’s going to pour into it this week and when he leads us to a win like that, he inherently is allowed to enjoy that."

It grew after Minnesota earned a 24-16 win at Miami before the bye week. Za’Darius Smith said the team is working on getting Cousins his own chain for Christmas. 

Adam Thielen said one of Cousins' new nicknames is "Kirko Chains."

"Kirko Chains up there with all the chains on and shirt off, it just kind of shows we can be ourselves on this team," Thielen said. "It doesn't mean we're going to be perfect, but it just allows us to be ourselves, try to put best foot forward."

The Vikings have won six straight games, all by one possession in the fourth quarter. Cousins was drafted by Washington and spent his first six seasons there before signing with the Vikings in free agency.

The Vikings are having fun with a 7-1 record, and 4.5-game lead in the NFC North Division.