Vikings Excited After Cousins' First Game
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Vikings nation is fired up. It was an all-out Vikings fever pitch Sunday as tailgaters flooded downtown Minneapolis near U.S. Bank Stadium.
Kirk Cousins, the new quarterback, didn't even have to earn their respect -- he had it before the season started.
Dave Jansen of White Bear Lake wore number 8 on his jersey, "Yeah, because he's gonna win us a Super Bowl I had to go get us a jersey," said Dave Jansen, of White Bear Lake, who wore a Cousins jersey.
The temperature was around 70, and the excitement was 100 percent.
Tailgating got off to a strong start, just like the Vikings. There were 360 spaces available this year, a number that may soon decrease in the midst of downtown development.
Michael Roess owns one of the few tailgating lots.
"This is gonna be pretty much it, so I don't know the tailgating's gotta continue to happen," Roess said. "It's going to continue to happen, the question is where."
But the fans were living in the moment, a moment it was hard not to get swept up in.
The atmosphere -- the Minnesota magic -- was undeniable even for the competition.
San Francisco 49ers fans Malakah Munns and Franklin Holliman live in Tennessee and made the trek to Minnesota to cheer on San Francisco. Hoilliman told WCCO,
"Love it, 49ers fan, we had a chance to see Prince over the weekend, had an amazing weekend. We saw Mall of America, it's just been a beautiful weekend," Hoilliman said. "To top it off, San Francisco is gonna beat Minnesota Vikings."
The Vikings did pull out the win of 24-16.
Fans cheered with excitement and seemed optimistic about Cousins, optimistic about the season.