.The Vikings quarterback was hotly pursued by the Jets in the offseason http://www.coltsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-quenton-nelson-jersey , with New York offering a massive three-year, $90 million deal to be the man to lead the struggling franchise. Instead, Cousins chose to go to Minnesota, which actually signed him to a deal worth $6 million less.The details of his free agency journey after six years in Washington were captured in a documentary series recently posted by the Vikings. It led to some harsh takes by New York-area media for using the Jets as leverage, and will undoubtedly result in plenty of boos from scorned fans when Cousins takes the field Sunday. And, the veteran quarterback is ready for it all."Criticism is going to be a part, especially when you're going into an opposing team's media climate," Cousins said. "They're going to find ways to criticize."Oh, and fittingly, New York is holding a Marvel-sponsored promotion Sunday with a Hulk (the Jets, of course) vs. Thor (the Vikings, of course) theme.As everything turned out, though, Jets fans can't be too disappointed by the snub.After being turned down by Cousins, New York focused fully on the draft. The Jets swung a stunning deal with Indianapolis to move up to No. 3 overall and ended up grabbing Sam Darnold."Either you get him or you don't," coach Todd Bowles said. "We didn't have him and we are happy with Sam. I'm sure they are happy with Kirk."Cousins has the Vikings off to a 3-2-1 start , and has thrown 12 touchdown passes and three interceptions. His 185 completions rank second in the NFL, one behind Indianapolis' Andrew Luck.The Jets know, in the back of their minds, that Cousins could've been doing that for them. Still Darius Leonard Jersey , they insist there are no hard feelings or a sense for delivering some revenge."I don't pay any attention to that," linebacker Jordan Jenkins said. "The guy's a competitor. He came from a position that he didn't really like and made the most of it. I don't hold anything against him."Meanwhile, Darnold has shown nice progress the last few weeks and made the Cousins situation a distant memory .The 21-year-old rookie was 24 of 30 for 280 yards and two touchdowns with an interception last week in a 42-34 win over Indianapolis. His 80.0 completion percentage was the highest by a Jets rookie in a single game, and Darnold looks for his third straight outing with at least two TD passes."Yeah," Darnold said, "everything worked out for the best, I think."Here are some other things to know as the Jets host the Vikings:HOME COOKIN'The Jets are looking to sweep a three-game homestand after wins against the Broncos and Colts. And they'll try to do it against a team they've never lost to at home.New York is 8-2 in 10 all-time meetings with Minnesota, including 5-0 at home."It's huge," Darnold said. "I think it's safe to say we want to win every single game we play, but definitely on a homestand, winning every single game that we get at home because our fans are amazing."THRIVING RICHARDSONThe Vikings are tied for fifth in the NFL with 18 sacks, with defensive end Danielle Hunter tied with Houston's J.J. Watt for the league lead with seven sacks apiece. The presence of defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, the 2013 first-round draft pick by the Jets, has been a boost to an already stout front four.Richardson is tied for eighth in the NFL with 10 quarterback hits, and has taken on more double-team blocks than he expected, allowing Hunter and his other teammates more space to disrupt the opposing backfield.The last two years of Richardson's tenure with the Jets were rocky , but after a one-season stop in Seattle he has felt settled in Minnesota despite playing on a one-year, prove-it contract."A good situation, a good team, good family oriented guys Authentic Braden Smith Jersey , good coaching staff," Richardson said. "Can't really beat it."DEALIN' WITH THIELENThe Jets will be missing safety Marcus Maye on Sunday because of a broken thumb, but he's not the only concern in the secondary. Cornerbacks Trumaine Johnson (quadriceps) and Buster Skrine (concussion) are uncertain to play, which means New York will have to get creative against Vikings receiver Adam Thielen.Thielen leads the NFL with 58 catches — the most by a player through the first six games in league history — and 712 yards receiving. He also has 100 or more yards receiving in every game.Rookie Parry Nickerson and veteran Darryl Roberts could end up seeing a lot of Thielen."Whether you double him, triple him, single him or play zone, he finds a way to get open and get it done," Bowles said.AN ANSWER FOR QJets wide receiver Quincy Enunwa will miss the game with a sprained ankle that could sideline him for a few weeks.It's a big blow to the offense — especially Darnold, who had developed a nice rapport with him. Enunwa leads the team with 22 catches and 287 yards receiving.Jermaine Kearse, who led New York in receptions last year, might be the immediate beneficiary. He caught a season-high nine passes for 94 yards last week.HUNTING FOR QUARTERBACKSHunter, who will turn 24 on Oct. 29, has 32陆 sacks in 52 career regular-season games.His prowess, plus the emergence of third-year defensive end Stephen Weatherly, helped the Vikings overcome the unexpected absence of three-time Pro Bowl pick Everson Griffen, who remains away from the team indefinitely for mental health reasons . Hunter has played 216 of a possible 239 snaps in four games Griffen has been inactive."I think Danielle can play a million plays if he wanted to," coach Mike Zimmer said. "He's built like Adonis."AP Pro Football Writer Dave Campbell contributed. The Chicago Bears rolled into their bye with their most lopsided victory in six seasons and sole possession of the NFC North lead for the first time in five years.For a team long buried at the bottom of the division, it's a different look. Just don't tell coach Matt Nagy the Bears are the surprise of the NFL."No, I'm not surprised," he said.The Bears expected better things after a busy offseason that included a coaching change Youth Malik Hooker Jersey , an influx of playmaking targets for quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and the blockbuster trade with Oakland for Khalil Mack just before the start of the season.But sole possession of the division lead?That's a spot the Bears (3-1) hadn't occupied since late in the 2013 season, Marc Trestman's first year coaching the team. Yet, they're looking down at the rest of the division after four straight last-place finishes."You go back to April 3 when we got together as a team," said Nagy, a rookie head coach after working as an assistant under Andy Reid in Philadelphia and Kansas City. "We talked about who we wanted to be and what our goal was. And so what happens is when you start believing in that thing and then you start doing it in real games, you get tighter as friends. You get tighter as teammates. You get tighter as coaches. What we can do now is kind of reflect at 3-1 where we're at. We understand it's a super-long season."The Bears have won three in a row since blowing a 20-point lead against an injured Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in a season-opening loss at Lambeau Field. It's their longest win streak since a 3-0 start in 2013.Their defense has dominated all season with Mack leading the way. And with the offense breaking out in a 48-10 romp over Tampa Bay last week, just about everything seems to be falling in place for the Bears.The bye comes a time when they have a few injury issues. Chicago lost backup linebacker Sam Acho for the rest of the season to a torn pectoral muscle. Cornerbacks Prince Amukamara and Marcus Cooper are recuperating from hamstring injuries. Defensive end Akiem Hicks opened himself up to a potential suspension when he got ejected for bumping an official last week.Those issues aside, the Bears are looking good at the moment.Trubisky had the sort of breakthrough game against Tampa Bay that Chicago had been waiting for since he was drafted with the No. 2 overall pick in 2017. The prized quarterback threw for a career-high six touchdowns — one shy of an NFL record shared by Bears Hall of Famer Sid Luckman and seven others — facing a short-handed secondary. Chicago also matched its most lopsided win since beating Jacksonville 41-3 on Oct. 7, 2012, and put up its highest point total since a 51-20 victory over Tennessee later that season."That was the kind of a breakthrough that we were kind of hoping for and what we expect to do on offense," Trubisky said.The question now for the Bears is this: Can they keep it going?Their three wins are against teams that missed the playoffs last season. The Bears also beat Seattle and Arizona.Chicago's next game is at Miami — 3-1 heading into a matchup with Cincinnati despite being outscored 90-82 — before Tom Brady and the New England Patriots visit on Oct. 21."We're getting better every week and that's what you want to see," Mack said. "To see the guys in the back end making plays, that's what you want to see. And being in a position to affect the quarterback to make them make those throws. It's a good feeling, especially going into the bye."The Bears rank fourth overall on defense, lead the NFL with 18 sacks and rank second with eight interceptions. Chicago and Tennessee are the only teams not to allow a rushing touchdown.Mack has been the havoc-wreaking force the Bears anticipated, helping turn a top-10 defense into one of the league's best so far. He's tied for second in the NFL with five sacks and is the first NFL player with a sack and forced fumble in four straight games since Robert Mathis for Indianapolis in 2005.He hasn't been the only big contributor on defense. Hicks has three sacks and two forced fumbles. Danny Trevathan and Aaron Lynch each have a pair of sacks.But the Bears' hopes still largely hinge on Trubisky.He's 19th in the league with 945 yards passing, yet coming off a huge game that the Bears hope will be a turning point for him. Time will tell on that.For now, the Bears are rolling along in sole possession of the NFC North lead. And, that's quite a change for a team used to looking up at everyone else.