Primetime was No Match for Kirk Cousins

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Nov 24, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) celebrates the win after the game against the New England Patriots at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

At various points since I began writing about the Vikings, I’ve articulated concerns about how the QB1 has played. While the end-of-year statistics almost always looked pretty, the team’s record was seldom very attractive. In my mind, the team was spending too much on Kirk Cousins to be getting so few wins.

Paying him so much indicates that they’re relying on him to push this team over the top in critical moments. In 2022, Cousins has been up to the task.

The most recent example comes from the Thanksgiving night game against Bill Belichick’s Patriots. Kirk Cousins completed touchdown passes to Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson, and Adam Thielen, the team’s top 3 pass catchers. He bounced back from an ugly interception to complete several high-pressure, contested throws. Cousins, in short, was fantastic, a main reason why the team was triumphant.

Kirk Cousins Keeps Getting it Done

We’re seeing a different player under center.

In the past, Cousins would sometimes balk at the opportunity to throw the contested ball. His foray into Kevin O’Connell’s offense has led to a different approach. The veteran is trusting his players to make plays, especially Jefferson.

At times, Kirk Cousins has made his mistakes. He is already up to 9 interceptions, which is nearing his career high a single season (13 in both 2017 and 2020). Nevertheless, the positives outweigh the negatives. Sometimes, swinging for home runs means that a batter will strike out. If we want Cousins to keep making the difficult throws, then we need to be willing to accept that mistakes will happen.

Very few would have predicted a 9-2 record. Very few would have predicted Minnesota being able to lockdown the NFC North if things go right in Week 13. We know that the defense has struggled, so much of the credit belongs with the offense.

Take a look at some of the notable numbers for Mr. Cousins:

  • 2760 passing yards, 5th in the NFL.
  • 17 TD passes, 6th in the NFL.
  • 9 interceptions, 3rd in the NFL.
  • 65.0 completion percentage, 18th in the NFL.
  • 88.6 QB rating, 21st in the NFL.
  • 71.5 PFF grade, 16th in the NFL.
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Oct 9, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) and quarterback Kirk Cousins. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.

The statistics indicate that Kirk Cousins has been an average to above-average quarterback. The irony is that public opinion of him has probably never been higher. Previously, he’d have top-level stats and an average amount of wins, leading to plenty of criticism. At present, he has average to above-average stats and a ton of wins, so people think he’s great.

Finishing Off the 2022 Season

Much remains of the 2022 season. The team still needs to play the Jets, Lions, Colts, Giants, Packers, and Bears. All 6 games are winnable, and yet we’d be foolish to assume Minnesota will simply meander through these games unchallenged by their opponents.

First up is the Jets, a team with a talented defense and plenty of QB uncertainty. The journey that is the 2022 Vikings season is once again heading in a positive direction, and much of that has to do with the QB1. He’ll face a difficult challenge when he has to try to solve Robert Saleh’s defense in Week 13.

A major reason why the year has been so enjoyable is that Kirk Cousins is overturning the commonly articulated criticisms from the past. Instead of a QB who shrinks in critical moments, we’ve seen a QB who has elevated his play. Instead of a QB who is afraid of taking risks, we’ve seen a QB who will give his receivers a chance. Instead of a QB who isn’t a winner, we’ve seen a QB lead his team to 9 wins in 11 games, an especially notable feat given that he’s credited with 6 game-winning drives.

In many ways, the next step will involve carrying these new trends through the remainder of the 2022 season. If successful, Kirk Cousins will then get the chance to take on another criticism: a lack of playoff success. People will remember his sensational passes to Adam Thielen and Kyle Rudolph to take down the Saints following the 2019 season, but that’s his only playoff win. Unless something totally unforeseen happens, the Vikings will be in the playoffs this year, so Cousins will get another shot at finding playoff success.

If the QB1 pushes his team deep into the playoffs – especially if it involves more clutch game-winning drives – then there won’t be too many criticism left for the oft-criticized quarterback.

Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and PFF helped with this piece.

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