Will Kirk Cousins Get the Last Laugh Over the Vikings?
Last Sunday, Minnesota got the upper hand on Kirk Cousins’ team, doubling up Atlanta by a final score of 42-21. The score is lopsided, so it’s easy to forget that the game was close until it wasn’t. The Vikings and Falcons were tied at 21 late in the 3rd but Sam Darnold exploded in the 4th, making the final score look a bit deceiving.
Even still, Minnesota won the first match over their former QB1, offering some satisfaction to the team’s fans (Kevin O’Connell resists the same feeling). The important caveat within the widespread glee, however, is that the two teams could meet once again. Indeed, the playoffs are getting close and Minnesota could reasonably need to travel over to Atlanta for a rematch.
Kirk Cousins and The Last Laugh
Kirk Cousins isn’t having the season he would like to be having.
Operating on the first year of his four-year deal that’s promising to pay $180 million, Cousins has been able to lead his team to just 6 wins alongside 7 losses. The completion percentage is healthy — 67% — and so, too, are the air yards — 3,396 — but the touchdowns and interceptions leave a little something to be desired.
Cousins is sitting on just 17 touchdowns to stand alongside his 15 interceptions. The near one-to-one ratio is unheard of for Cousins since becoming a full-time starter. For the most part, the ignoble stat is the byproduct of a recent rough stretch that has involved Cousins not throwing a touchdown pass since November 3rd while tossing 8 interceptions within that same timeframe.
Maybe unsurprisingly, Atlanta has been on a four-game losing streak within the time we’re discussing.
The game against the Vikings functions as a small example of what has been going on. Cousins completed 23 of 37 passes, good for a 62.2% completion rate. Solid but not great. What was great were the air yards: 344, an elite number within a single game. The issue was simply that he couldn’t toss a touchdown but did toss a pair of picks. Former teammates Josh Metellus and Byron Murphy Jr. each caught a pass from their former teammate.
Now, within all of that negativity is the possibility: Kirk Cousins could still lead his team into the playoffs. In fact, Kirk Cousins could earn the division title within the weak NFC South and host the Minnesota Vikings in the opening round of the playoffs. The scenario we’re considering is one where the Falcons finish 4th while the Vikings slide in at 5th as the top Wild Card team.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are sitting in the top spot in the NFC South at 7-6. Atlanta is a game behind at 6-7. Any chance we see those two teams swap spots through the season’s final four games?
If so, then Cousins could be gearing up for a rematch. Again, remember that the Week 14 game was a close one. The veteran passer found a way to move the ball through the air. He also had good ground support, getting production out of RB1 Bijan Robinson and RB2 Tyler Allgeier. Playing in one’s own stadium is just an extra gust of wind to help out.
By all means, enjoy overcoming Cousins and getting up to 11-2. The game finished splendidly for the Vikings. Just know that Kirk Cousins could very reasonably get another shot at his former team. He may even earn the last laugh.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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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, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.