A Brief Note on Kirk Cousins and The “Wins Aren’t a QB Stat” Crowd
A mere few moments navigating the online debates surrounding Kirk Cousins and whether wins are a QB stat will leave one discouraged and weary. There’s a take-no-prisoners approach to this debate, so the online reader is encouraged to take caution before jumping into the fray.
First, the basic facts. For his career, Kirk Cousins is a hair below .500, meaning he hasn’t been able to win with sustained consistency. He is 57-58-2. His best season – at least in terms of the W/L column – came in 2019 with the Vikings. He went 10-5 before sitting the final week to rest before the playoffs. At Cousins’ best, Minnesota only got in as a Wild Card team. Nevertheless, he deserves credit for getting his team to the point where it could rest its starting QB in the final week. Moreover, he took down the Saints with a glorious pass to Kyle Rudolph in OT. Credit where it’s due.
There is a danger in oversimplifying things by suggesting that Cousins is the only reason for his record. He certainly isn’t. There have been any number of factors that have contributed to all the losses. That’s a two-way street, though. There have been any number of factors that have contributed to all the wins. He has had a true smorgasbord of OCs in his career, but at least he’s had the benefit of working for all-time great offensive minds like Shanahan, McVey, and Kubiak. He has also had the benefit of throwing to a fantastic group of receivers over his career. His current #1 – Justin Jefferson – is perhaps the best of his career.
It’s also notable that his time with the Vikings has been characterized by disappointment. Many, like myself, were encouraged by his signing back in 2018. The team has never been able to elevate with him under center. Part of the issue is that his massive contract comes with high expectations. The concerns about not being able to bring in talent have been overblown. The Vikings have found creative ways to both retain their own talent as well as bring in outside talent.
The real problem is that fans saw the price tag and instantly thought it meant Super Bowl contention. There has never been a time in his purple tenure that the Vikings have been a Super Bowl contender. Massive money comes at a cost, and that cost is massive expectations. Right or wrong, Cousins has to shoulder these expectations because he willingly opted for the eye-popping contract numbers.
To his credit, Kirk Cousins has continued to work on his flaws, leading to some unlikely wins and success. There’s a case to be made that he is deserving of All Pro consideration, and he did pick up a prime time win last week (even though he didn’t play great). His pocket presence is better, he is more willing to use his legs, and he has been more aggressive. At the opposite end of the spectrum, though, is a continued proclivity for making a good play rather than the best play. Sometimes, a 7-yard reception from the TE just isn’t good enough, especially when a partially covered WR is 25 yards down the field and calling for the ball.
Purple PTSD Also Read: Justin Jefferson Has a Simple Goal in Year Three
Obviously, this whole debate could be taken to an extreme. Joe Flacco won a Super Bowl, but there’s no way he’s better than Dan Marino. Nevertheless, the greatest QBs of Cousins’ generation – Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, the Manning brothers, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, and certainly several others – are all great largely because they’ve won. It’s that continued success that separates these QBs from the average, ho-hum options under center.
At some point, one needs to look at the common denominator in all these teams. After 10 years in the NFL (7 as a starter), Kirk Cousins has never had his team to an elite level, nor has he ever advanced deep into the playoffs.
The crazy thing is I’m not ready to move on from Kirk just yet. He’s better than most, and he does continue to work on his flaws. One could argue that his best days are still ahead. Hopefully that means the wins will follow.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”924188″ player=”26281″ title=”NFL%20QB%20Rankings%20Top%2010″ duration=”142″ description=”The 2021 NFL season is in full swing and fantasy playoffs are approaching. While you already conducted your fantasy drafts long ago, we’re still going in our NFL QB rankings where we rank the top-10 quarterbacks in the NFL.” uploaddate=”2021-12-15″ thumbnailurl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/19439/thumb/924097_s_1639609415940.jpg” contentUrl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/streaming/924097/924097.m3u8″]