Probably in the minority with this, but.....

The way Stefanski put his players in position for success, from his very first install last Wednesday to the way things were carried out on Sunday, played a large part in Minnesota's season-best 41 points.

It was clear from the first series that Stefanski would prioritize a run game that has struggled in recent weeks. In Weeks 1-14, Minnesota dropped back on 69 percent of its plays. In Week 15, the Vikings ran the ball on nearly 66 percent of drives, much more in line with 2017, when they finished seventh in rushing despite being without Dalvin Cook for much of the season.

But the change at offensive coordinator may end up being a bandage on a bigger issue. The pressure on Cousins to live up to expectations is almost at its boiling point.

Stefanski's game plan for the future may end up saving the Vikings' season. Simplifying how much Cousins has to do alleviates the weight on his shoulders to carry Minnesota to the playoffs. Making Cook the focal point of the offense shifts the identity of the team to its best playmaker.

On Sunday, that boiled down to zone blocking and the use of multiple-tight end sets. Establishing an explosive rushing attack took pressure off Cousins and set him up for success with the use of play-action. It also helped the offense re-establish what it wants to be down the stretch of the season.

"Before the game in the days leading up, he was talking about kind of the identity we wanted to be and be physical and run the ball really well and set up how we used to run it," tight end David Morgan said. "It was just good to see the offense buy in and all get after it together."

On all but one of the Vikings' touchdowns (Cousins' 40-yard pass to Aldrick Robinson in the fourth quarter), Minnesota opted for heavier personnel packages, staying in 22 (2 TE, 2 RB, 1 WR) or 12 personnel (2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE) on each drive.

The whole notion that the Dolphins "didn't know if it was a run or pass," as receiver Adam Thielen pointed out, starts here.

"We pared some things down, but we ran like one play 10 times but with 10 different variations, so sometimes that's what it is too," coach Mike Zimmer said. "You format it differently and you get them in different looks so they can't key on one thing, but you're basically running the same play."

That strategy could continue to help the Vikings' offense turn things around as the postseason nears. It paid dividends in Week 15, but there were moments when the same issues arose at inopportune moments.

Cousins' pick-six in the second quarter was his third of the season. Once the Vikings got backed up deep in their own territory, they went three-and-out on the next two drives. The Vikings' defense and special teams twice in the second half handed the offense great field position only to have it go to waste.