The Stat Where Cousins Far Outpaces Mahomes, Hurts, & The Other Top QBs
K. Joudry
|
Shrink the QB pool down to just those who finished as the contenders (and winner) for NFL MVP in 2022. A certain stellar receiver finished 5th. Ahead of him were QBs Patrick Mahomes (the victor), Jalen Hurts, Josh Allen, and Joe Burrow. Last season, Kirk Cousins far surpassed them all in a critical statistic: game-winning drives.
As many Vikings fans know by now, Cousins had a superhuman 8 game-winning drives in 2022. For a QB who has been criticised for his inability to elevate in clutch moments, Cousins certainly performed admirably (playoff fiasco aside).
When a team pays top dollar for a QB, the expectation is that he’ll be capable of putting the team on his back. Yes, football is a team game, but QB is indisputably its most important position. The signal caller possesses a disproportionate impact on whether a game is won or lost. And, indeed, a great QB can overcome many roster deficiencies and flaws.
QB Wins and Cousins Far Outpacing the Field
The aura around Mr. Mahomes would diminish significantly if he wasn’t a proven winner. Ditto for the other QBs – Hurts, Allen, and Burrow – but to a lesser extent. That trio is excellent, but they’ll need to attain the ultimate prize to truly be in the same conversation as the Kansas City quarterback.
Now, back to our vital statistic. Take a look at the 2022 game-winning drives for the aforementioned quartet:
- Mahomes: 4
- Hurts: 2
- Allen: 4
- Burrow: 4
At their best, the MVP QBs could only get to half of Cousins’ total. Kicking things back a touch will help us to understand why.
The Chiefs, Eagles, Bills, and Bengals were better than the Vikings last season. Yes, the Vikings overcame the Bills in a thrilling come-from-behind victory, but it would be foolhardy to insist that Minnesota is therefore the better team. The broad consensus on the matter is correct in this instance: the four teams were better than the Purple & Gold, including Buffalo.
Why does that matter? Well, it’s because great teams don’t need to come back as much. Great teams often play with the lead.
The best regular season team I’ve ever seen is the ’07 Patriots. Their offense averaged an unfathomable 36.8 points per game (the defense wasn’t too shabby, either, holding opponents to an average of 17.1 points per game). Did Tom Brady have a lot of game-winning drives in that season? He had 4, a strong number but still 50% of what Cousins did last year.
The team that went 16-0 didn’t afford its QB with as many opportunities to be clutch. The 13-4 Vikings, in contrast, certainly did with Mr. Cousins. And, to his credit, he responded every time (at least in the regular season).
So then here’s the irony: less clutch Cousins may actually speak to a far better Vikings team in 2023. If Brian Flores finds a way to resurrect the once-proud defense, the Vikings won’t need their QB to put forth Herculean efforts in the closing moments.
Playing with a lead would be a welcome reprieve for Minnesota’s stressed fanbase.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
