Kirk Cousins' penchant for going shirtless was apparently inherited from his four-year-old son Cooper.
The injured Minnesota quarterback led team fans in their usual “Skol Vikings” chant before Sunday night's crucial game against the rival Green Bay Packers.
Cousins performed his ceremonial duties topless with the help of Cooper, who also removed his own shirt before slowly clapping alongside his father to the crowd.
Roughly translated into “Cheers Vikings” from several Scandinavian languages, the chant typically ends with someone pretending to blow a massive gjallarhorn, a horn associated with the Norse god Heimdallr.
And Cousins, wearing his usual gold chain without a shirt, played the role to loud approval from Vikings fans. For football fans, the spectacle is reminiscent of Iceland's ultimate Viking song at Euro 2016 in France.
Unfortunately for Cousins' teammates, the chant didn't carry over to the field, where the Packers cruised to a 33-10 win, effectively ending the Vikings' playoff hopes. The team now only has a 3 percent chance of reaching the postseason.
The injured Minnesota Vikings QB gathered his fans for his home game against the Packers on Sunday
Cousins, 35, showed off his fit body in front of a Gjallarhorn before kickoff in Minneapolis
In Norse mythology, the Gjallarhorn, which Cousins blew, is heard around the world
Cousins and his son Cooper also clapped in a similar way to the Icelandic Euro 2016 team
Cousins has been injured since late October, when he tore his Achilles tendon in a 24-10 win over the Packers in Green Bay.
Journeyman quarterback Joshua Dobbs was drafted out of Arizona and won his next two starts for the team before losing two and being benched in a 3-0 win over the Raiders in Las Vegas on Dec. 10.
Cousins chose to wear shirts for the first time last season when his teammates gifted him gold chains, which the shirtless quarterback wore in a viral video of himself following a 2022 win against his old former team – the Washington Commanders – danced on the team flight.
The devout Christian and his wife Julie are parents to two boys: Cooper, four, and Turner, three.
Vikings fans show their appreciation by clapping along with Kirk and Cooper Cousins
Cousins chose the T-shirt top in 1922 on the flight back from D.C. after beating his old team
Cousins — a devout Christian — and his wife Julie are parents to two boys: Cooper, 4, and Turner, 3
With Cousins' future uncertain after this season, star receiver Justin Jefferson made it clear once again how he feels about his quarterback after the loss to the Detroit Lions on Christmas Eve.
“I feel like I always speak my mind to Kirk,” Jefferson said. “As much as people want to downgrade him and not give him his credit, I'm always the person who always gives him his credit. “I'm always blessed and just accept the person he was to me, the player who he was to me and to this team, just by being that leader and captain, controlling the game, controlling where the ball goes and making great shots. I think the rest of the world is definitely realizing that in this moment.”
Cousins was putting together another strong season before getting injured. He had 2,331 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and five interceptions. He currently leads the league with 291.4 passing yards per game and his quarterback rating of 103.8 ranks fourth.
Cousins has a one-year, $35 million contract with the Vikings that expires in February.
Jordan Love (left) and Aaron Jones (right) celebrated the New Year with a win in Minnesota
Detroit clinched the NFC North with a win over Minnesota last week in Minneapolis, marking just the second time in 13 seasons that the division was not won by either the Packers or Vikings.
Jordan Love threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score to put the Green Bay Packers in control of a playoff spot with a 33-10 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night.
Aaron Jones rushed for 120 yards and Jayden Reed had two touchdown catches for the Packers (8-8), who can clinch the NFC's final wild-card spot with a home win over Chicago next week. Seattle's loss earlier in the day allowed them to climb over the line.
Since losing Cousins to a season-ending Achilles tendon tear in Week 8 in Green Bay, the Vikings have used three quarterbacks, a direct reflection of the team's 7-8 record to start the week and its four losses in recent memory five weeks.