La Velle E. Neal III's 3-2 Pitch: Three observations and two predictions every Sunday.

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Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins has spent more time this preseason under scrutiny than under center.

So, in one way, he's prepared for the Sept. 12 season opener at Cincinnati.

There are lingering questions about whether the offensive line can keep Cousins upright, and whether the offense overall will be in sync. But the quarterback is the most criticized player on the roster, and it's like the regular season around these parts regarding Cousins.

There should be optimism that coach Mike Zimmer's defense is going to have a bounceback season. With Cousins at the controls of an offense with multiple weapons, the Vikings could be in position to pounce in the NFC North if that guy across the border wearing No. 12 falters.

Instead, Cousins has been a lightning rod. His vaccine reluctance is well known, going back to last season. But when he missed four practices during training camp after he was in close contact with a player who tested positive, Cousins complained about the quarterback meeting room being too small and speculated about shielding himself with plexiglass in the future.

Next time, just say it's unfortunate and move on. Harrison Smith, Adam Thielen and Sheldon Richardson are among Vikings players who have said during news conferences that they are not vaccinated. Yet the heat is blasted on Cousins for how poorly he has articulated his views.

As part of the fallout, a hospital in Cousins' hometown of Holland, Mich., severed ties with the QB for his stance.

Before Friday's preseason finale against Kansas City, Cousins' three offensive series yielded two punts and a missed field goal. It had Zimmer pleading for touchdowns before opening weekend. The coach sharply said last week: "If you're going to throw 5-yard check-downs all day long, it takes 20 of them."

On top of all this, the Vikings signed defensive end Everson Griffen for a second stint with the club. Griffen last season criticized Cousins in a tweet and claimed even Zimmer didn't want him. Even under those circumstances, the Vikings elected to bring Griffen back.

The regular season hasn't started, and it seems as if Cousins already has taken a loss.

So it's time for Cousins to put his head down, as much as a quarterback can, and grind.

He can hand the ball to Dalvin Cook, perhaps the most explosive running back in the league. He has Thielen and Justin Jefferson as dangerous wide receivers. The offensive line is a question mark. But the defense will not repeat last season when it gave up more than 30 points seven times. They will be in more games, games that Cousins can win.

Of course, if Cousins throws six interceptions over the first three games of the year — as he did in 2020 — the preseason will have just been the warmup act for regular-season criticism.

Arm trouble all around

The Twins needed help for their rotation and the Dodgers sought a power arm for their bullpen. So the Twins sent hard-throwing reliever Brusdar Graterol westward while receiving starter Kenta Maeda before the 2020 season. This occurred after Boston backed out of a three-way deal with the teams.

Maeda went 6-1 with a 2.70 ERA for the Twins and finished second in the Cy Young voting.

Graterol didn't strike out many hitters but his 100 mph sinkers had Dodgers fans thinking about life after closer Kenley Jansen.

Their fortunes changed dramatically in 2021. Graterol opened the season on the IL with forearm tightness and was sent to the minors twice before pitching better recently. Maeda's elbow, a concern when he joined the Dodgers, will require surgery that he believes will keep him from pitching next season. There are questions about both pitchers going forward, which no one thought was possible a year ago.

Seismic moves in soccer

Who thought a month ago that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, each a soccer colossus, would change clubs?

But it's happening after Messi moved to PSG from Barcelona three weeks ago and Ronaldo's departure from Juventus for Manchester United ahead of Tuesday's transfer deadline.

Messi seemed to be a Barcelona lifer, but the club's money mismanagement made it impossible to pay his salary — despite Messi taking a 50% pay cut from the reported $92 million he earned in 2020. Messi left and signed with PSG without a transfer fee.

There hadn't been a peep from Ronaldo, who reportedly earned $71 million last season, until last week when he suddenly let it be known that he wanted out. A move to Manchester City failed to gain enough traction, and Manchester United, his former club, stepped in to bring back their hero.

Both moves are stunning and seismic developments in the soccer world.

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AND TWO PREDICTIONS ...

Sano's big swing working again

Miguel Sano looked overmatched at the plate for most of the season, even briefly falling into a platoon role. But he entered the weekend with 22 homers, including seven over his previous 23 games. Look for him to reach 30 before the season ends.

Ohio State for openers? Yikes

A strong offensive and defensive line will make the Gophers a tough team to match up against this season. Against Ohio State, it won't be enough. Look for the Buckeyes to pull away to a 31-20 victory in Thursday's opener.