Kevin O’Connell Offered a Political Answer, But MIN Has a Shot at Delivering a Devastating Punch
One could pretty convincingly argue that Kirk Cousins’ best football came under Kevin O’Connell’s tutelage, a coach who is increasingly being recognized as a quarterback specialist.
The question in Wednesday’s press conference thus made a lot of sense. O’Connell — alongside Brian Flores, Wes Phillips, and others on staff — have a robust understanding of Cousins’ game. Will they be able to exploit that insight to gain an edge on Sunday? No doubt, Minnesota will be using any and all advantages it can get, but O’Connell offered a political answer that refused to directly address the question.
Kevin O’Connell, Kirk Cousins, & The Week 14 Game
Lately, NFL writers have been exploring whether it’s time for Cousins to take a seat on the bench. Quite the twist of fate for a QB who signed a four-year, $180 million pact in March.
Jim Trotter, for instance, gets into the topic on The Athletic. Part of the issue for Cousins is that Atlanta has an intriguing option at QB2: “it’s hard to watch Cousins in recent weeks and not wonder if it’s time to take a look at rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr., the strong-armed southpaw who was selected eighth overall.”
Trotter goes on: “It has been said that once is an accident, twice is a coincidence and three times is a pattern. What we’re seeing from Cousins in recent weeks is a noticeable pattern that, at the very least, warrants situational playing time for Penix, who has earned glowing reviews behind the scenes for his work in practice.”
Is there any chance that a poor outing in Minnesota would end up being the knockout punch when it comes to Cousins’ hold on the QB1 job? Does a disastrous opening half lead to Penix trotting onto the field to begin the second half?
If so, then Minnesota will have an edge insofar as they’re leaning on an excellent defense that is being coached by people who understand Kirk Cousins as good as anyone.
Kevin O’Connell, though, wouldn’t take the bait, instead opting to praise his former quarterback. “I have tremendous, tremendous respect for Kirk,” O’Connell begins, “one of the players throughout my journey as a coach that either coaching him in Washington in ’17 or being very fortunate to get two years with him here, I just know how impactful of a player he is.”
O’Connell goes on to describe how Cousins has “done a really good job with that group of skill players.” The Vikings’ head coach goes on to reflect on their positive “dialogue and the connection” while noting the “challenge” that lies ahead in facing Cousins.
So, nothing but praise as O’Connell evaded the direct question.
Safe to say, though, that Minnesota’s coaching staff is leaning on any and all advantages they have in their upcoming game. But, to be sure, that’s a reality that cuts both ways. Cousins is a very sharp guy; he’ll be very aware of the kind of things Flores likes to do on defense. He could even be passing along information on O’Connell’s tendencies on offense in an effort to push the Atlanta defense a bit further along in their preparation.
Kirk Cousins has completed 67.4% of his passes while adding up 3,052 passing yards, 17 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. His passer rating is down at 90.8 and his PFF grade sits at 72.8, 24th among all qualifying passers.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap 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, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.
