NFL forecast: Kirk Cousins returns to Washington; ‘You like that?’

Seven years ago, Kirk Cousins led Washington to the largest comeback win in franchise history.

He threw for 317 yards and three second-half touchdowns as Washington erased a 24-0 deficit en route to a 31-30 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at FedEx Field.

Afterward, on his way to the locker room, Cousins yelled his now-famous phrase “You like that?! You like that?!” at a reporter.

After six seasons with Washington, Cousins signed with Minnesota in 2018 and has helped the Vikings to a 6-1 start this season. Minnesota is tied with the Buffalo Bills for the NFL’s second-best record behind the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles (8-0).

Cousins will return to FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, on Sunday for the first time as a visiting player since leaving Washington.

The Vikings are only 3-point favorites. I like that.

Minnesota has won five straight, is ninth in the league in scoring (24.7 points per game) and 14th in scoring defense (20.6 ppg). Washington is 27th in scoring (17.8 ppg) and won’t be able to keep up with the Vikings, who feature several capable weapons, including running back Dalvin Cook, wideout Justin Jefferson and newly acquired tight end T.J. Hockenson.

The Commanders have won three straight games by a total of eight points over the Bears, Packers and Colts. But they’re taking a step up in class here against Cousins and Co. Take Minnesota and like it.

Four more plays (home team in CAPS):

■ PATRIOTS (-6) over Colts: New England has covered four of its last five games, while Indianapolis has lost and failed to cover its last two against Washington and Tennessee. The Colts are a mess on offense, scoring 17 points or fewer in five of their eight games. They are 30th in the NFL in scoring (16.1 ppg) and this week fired offensive coordinator Marcus Brady. I’ll bank on Bill Belichick to devise a plan to confuse Indianapolis quarterback Sam Ehlinger in his second career start.

■ JETS (+12) over Bills: Buffalo is still the clear Super Bowl favorite, but double-digit home underdogs are on a 12-5 run against the spread, and home underdogs of 12 points or more are on a 7-1 cover streak. According to ESPN, New York (5-3), sixth in total defense, is the largest home underdog with a winning record in 15 years.

■ Titans (+12½) over CHIEFS: In what has been the season of the underdog in the NFL, we’ll take Tennessee to cover a double-digit spread at Kansas City. The Titans (5-2) have won and covered five straight, and coach Mike Vrabel is 14-4 ATS and 13-5 straight-up as an underdog of four points or more. Tennessee is the biggest underdog in the Super Bowl era for a team on a five-game winning streak.

■ Dolphins (-4) over BEARS: Buoyed by the return to form of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and the acquisition of edge rusher Bradley Chubb, Miami takes on a Chicago team that has lost four of five, including last week’s 49-29 defeat at Dallas. The Bears are in the bottom 10 in the league in scoring, at 19.4 ppg, and quarterback Justin Fields is 1-5 ATS as a home underdog.

Last week: 4-1

Season: 23-15-2

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.