Kirk Cousins, Unafraid of Making a Mistake & More Than Willing to Rise to the Occasion
Same old Vikings. Another turnover to begin the game, seemingly confirming all of the doom and gloom about what this team is capable of accomplishing in 2023.
A switch flipped, though, from the second drive onward. Kirk Cousins put together a gutsy, gritty effort. Instead of a clunky, uninspired mess, the Vikings’ offense suddenly figured out how to play football. T.J. Hockenson, it turns out, is more than capable of doing damage down the field. Jordan Addison, it turns out, is more than capable of being a great fill-in at WR1.
Oh, and let’s not forget the run game. At the half, Minnesota’s twosome at running back had proven to be up the task of San Francisco’s defense. Alexander Mattison turned 6 carries into 34 yards while Cam Akers had turned 4 carries into 24 yards. Things weren’t as inspiring during the second half, but Minnesota could still eke out a victory.
Bringing it all together was a fearless Kirk Cousins. Bright lights and ferocious defense didn’t do much to fluster the veteran. Nor did his own miscue at the beginning of the game. He went into the half having gone 15/20 for 212 yards, 2 TDs, and an INT. By the end of the game, Cousins was 35/45 for 378 yards to partner with his 2 TDs and 1 INT.
Kirk Cousins and the Monday Night Magic
Charvarius Ward had better compete and physicality. The end result was a great interception on a pass that was trying to fit into tight coverage on Addison.
Physically, the advantage tilts pretty heavily in a certain direction. The SF corner stands at 6’1″ and weighs 196 pounds. The MN receiver stands at 5’11” and weighs 175 pounds. Seeing Ward win the opening battle wasn’t altogether surprising.
What was both unexpected and wonderful (at least for Vikings fans) was the rookie’s response. Addison returned the favor.
The wild thing is that Cousins did not put the ball in a good spot. The ball is behind Addison, giving Ward a better chance at snagging the pigskin. Part of the beauty of giving a receiver a chance, though, is that sometimes the receiver makes the quarterback look good.
On a play to basically end the half, the Vikings’ receiver made the quarterback look good:
The Addison/Cousins tandem was a terror all night long. Clearly, Cousins trusts his young receiver. Now, Kirk Cousins and Jordan Addison were far from alone when it comes to giving Minnesota a boost. As the previous conversation would suggest, Hockenson had plenty of good moments.
One also thinks of the defense, though.
Danielle Hunter continues to be a terror. Very few have ever combined such tremendous length with such tremendous explosiveness. He then leans on a pass rushing arsenal that commonly invites the offensive tackle to get too high before the pass rusher can dip beneath the o-lineman’s overwhelmed hands. Kicking off the third quarter with the humongous sack on Brock Purdy set the tone.
And then what can we say about Camryn Bynum? It’s been evident for a little while that he’s playing the best football of his career, but the MNF game was at a different level. He singlehandedly accounted for Minnesota’s three turnovers on defense. He had the forced fumble in the opening quarter and then a pair of INTs to function as the knockout blow against Brock Purdy.
Coming into the game, I predicted a large loss for Minnesota. A 34-24 Vikings defeat is what I saw in my crystal ball, but I was proven wrong. Kevin O’Connell called a beautiful game. He kept a ferocious 49ers defense off balance and on its heels all game, a testament to the game plan and the excellent play calling from the head coach. There wasn’t a single sack allowed on Mr. Cousins.
O’Connell put together an exquisite game. Yes, the timidity at the end of the 4th was gut wrenching, but the Brian Flores defense made the head coach right (one has to think that O’Connell will think long and hard about adjusting his approach moving forward).
Finally, we should remember that there was a stretch of game where the main trio of receivers for the offense was K.J. Osborn, Brandon Powell, and Trishton Jackson. No disrespect to that trio, but it’s safe to say that Minnesota was looking for their receiving group to look different on a massively important Monday Night Football showdown with the 49ers. Cousins found a way of making it work.
Thankfully, Addison returned to the game, making a difference almost immediately after getting back onto the field. The rookie finished his day with 7 catches, 124 yards, and 2 TDs. Not bad, especially when we remember that he was responsible for coaxing the 49ers into a pair of penalties.
At 3-4, the Vikings have an unlikely chance of climbing back up to .500 when they travel to Lambeau next week for a date with the reeling Packers.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.