Unpacking The Kirk Cousins All Pro Debate
K. Joudry
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Ah, Kirk Cousins. The man never fails to inspire debate, especially online. One of the current areas of debate rests on whether Kirk Cousins is worthy of being an All Pro.
Though not necessarily about the All Pro honor, several Vikings writers and podcasters have been commenting on Cousins’ performance this year. Realistic Randy took on this topic recently. Over at The Viking Age, Adam Patrick discusses why Cousins struggles in the second half: “But with Cousins’ significant struggles after the first two quarters of games this year, it leads one to believe that opposing teams have been making adjustments at the half, and Minnesota’s offensive leaders have just stuck to the game plan they were using in the first half.”
The Ringer‘s Ben Solak recently wrote about Minnesota’s “Three-Body Problem,” arguing that Kirk is a “middle-tier quarterback” before saying that the offensive system is one that offers a “veneer of effectiveness just bright enough to fool us into trusting [him].” And then there is this simple, declarative statement: “Cousins isn’t a quarterback who elevates; he is a quarterback who maintains.”
To be sure, Cousins has had more than his fair share of boneheaded plays this season. He is responsible for some brutal games. In Week 4, Cousins completed just below 53% of his passes as he threw for 1 touchdown and 1 INT. He finished the day with a 66.0 passer rating. His 184 passing yards against Dallas in Week 8 left a little to be desired, as did his 187 passing against the following week against the Ravens. All of these performances occurred during losses.
Quite often, though, KC has had strong games in losing efforts. Last week, Cousins made some mistakes, but he played a fine game. It may have been aided by Dan Campbell’s dumb decision to go for it on 4th down, but Kirk did what a QB1 is supposed to do: put his team ahead in the final moments of the game. Mike Zimmer’s defense then made Dan Campbell look competent, repeatedly refusing to bring pressure as they passively watched Jared Goff move the ball down the field.
So far, Kirk Cousins has three game winning drives in 2021, and the potential All Pro could have had several more. One thinks of the Dalvin fumble in Week 1 and the missed kick in Week 2. Kirk did his job in both scenarios. He should have had another game-winning drive against the Lions, which (combined with the other two examples) would have brought Cousins’ total to six game-winning drives. A half dozen isn’t too bad, folks. Moreover, against the Packers, Cousins successfully played keep away as he led his side to 3 points. The best way to defend Aaron “Doofus” Rodgers is to keep him in the sidelines; Cousins ensured that happened.
Recently, Pro Football Focus (another source of endless online debate) published their All Pro list, and Kirk Cousins was included. Tom Brady – the undisputed GOAT – takes top spot. Cousins is right behind him. Currently, Cousins is the 2nd overall QB in their rankings.
Over at Vikings Territory, Dustin Baker does a great job collecting notable statistics, ones that help give a sense of how individual players and the Vikings as a team are playing. Cousins ranks as the NFL’s fifth-best passer when you combine ESPN’s QBR, the PFF score, and passer rating. The Vikings – largely, but not exclusively, because of Cousins – rank first in the NFL for fewest interceptions and overall giveaways. The team is 5th in passing TDs, 6th in completion %, and 7th in yards per passing play. Go check out the rest of the statistics. Most are pretty flattering for Mr. Cousins.
Detractors will inevitably bring up Cousins’ less-than-modest salary and his uninspiring win/loss record. Keep in mind, though, that All Pro awards, by definition, are singularly focused on the current season. Forget what Cousins did or didn’t accomplish previously; forget the money he made when initially coming to Minnesota and his massive cap hit next season (a staggering $45 million).
This season, Cousins leads a team that is 5-7. His cap hit is $31 million. When you place these details alongside the other factors – his mostly excellent play, being clutch at several points, accumulating gaudy statistics (something he has never struggled with) – is Cousins among the league’s elite QBs? Does he belong in the same conversation as Tom Brady, Kyler Murray, and Aaron Rodgers?
As unsatisfying as it sounds, it’s still too early to say. If the season ended today, Kirk Cousins should have a legitimate chance of being an All Pro. The season doesn’t end today, though. There are still six more games left, starting with what feels like yet another must-win against Pittsburgh. Putting together a clutch performance in prime time would only strengthen Cousins’ case, especially since the team is operating without its RB1 (possibly), LT1, and WR2. Oh, and Klint Kubiak repeatedly makes life more difficult on Cousins than he needs to.
If he plays phenomenal the rest of the season, Cousins is still unlikely to be an All Pro. To many people’s minds, Cousins is merely a ho-hum, money-sucking QB who says “frick” an inordinate amount. At times, he has been those things, but they don’t characterize his 2021 season. Overcoming the caricature will require Cousins to not only elevate his own play, but also the play of his teammates.
Winning cures all, as they say, and that may even be true for an individual All Pro award.