Kirk Cousins played the best game of his career in Week 2
Brickwallblitz
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I’ve never been a big Kirk Cousins fan. My issue with him has always been that for as many plays as he’s made, he’s left just as many on the field. From the downfield misses in Washington to taking empty yards down two scores in the two-minute drill, this is why I’ve never been overly impressed with him as a quarterback despite his flashy stats.
Which is why I was pleasantly surprised when I saw Cousins’ performance during Week 2 at Green Bay. Who was this quarterback and why wasn’t he playing at this level a lot more than he has?
Cousins finished the game completing 35 of 48 passes (72.9%) for 425 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Statistics aside, Cousins’ performance had me thinking: This was the best game of his career. I’ve never seen him play better than he did last Sunday.
Cousins was brought in on a massive three-year, $84 million contract that was all guaranteed as the missing piece to a Super Bowl competitor. If Sunday’s performance shows up more consistently, that dream could happen.
In previous seasons with the Redskins, Cousins’ downfield accuracy was lackluster in comparison to his peers, and he’d leave his receivers hanging more often than not. As the creator of The Deep Ball Project, Cousins has not done well in my charting, which was why I was surprised to see him doing otherwise Sunday.
Cousins just needs to give Stefon Diggs a chance on the ball on this play, and thankfully that’s exactly what he does. The throw is perfect, leading Diggs away from the defensive back without leading him too far, resulting in a monster touchdown.
Now here’s where a little juxtaposition comes in. Cousins’ interception was on Lacquon Treadwell, who let the ball slip through his hands…
…But the interception Cousins threw that was offset by the controversial roughing the passer penalty on Clay Matthews was on him. I get that he’s under pressure, but he’s lucky to get away with this forced throw. That was the only mistake I had a problem with on Sunday, and thankfully Cousins made up for that and then some.
There have been polarizing opinions on Cousins’ touchdown throw to Adam Thielen late in the fourth quarter, ranging from feeling Thielen bailed out the accuracy from other saying it was a perfect throw.
Personally, I think it was a perfect throw. Cousins recognizes the pressure coming up the A-gap and stands tall, taking a huge hit under pressure while putting the ball in the wheelhouse of Thielen. While Cousins in theory could’ve led Thielen a little more, the safety trailing in would’ve concussed the receiver, so Cousins was able to put the ball in place where no one would get it except Thielen.
The result is a sublime touchdown pass and catch. These are the kind of throws Cousins hasn’t made as much as I’d like him to, but he was doing that and then some in Green Bay.
Generally, I’ve had Cousins as one of the worst passers into tight windows, as he’s lacked precision and left these plays on the field. This throw is different. The arc of this pass and its precision are simply beautiful, as Thielen hauls in a sensational pass that should’ve signaled the Vikings were one step closer to winning this game instead of the tie they were actually heading towards.
Kirk Cousins was phenomenal in Week 2. He was the reason the Vikings were in this game in the first place instead of holding them back from potential victory. If he continues to play at this level, the Vikings could very well represent the NFC in this year’s Super Bowl in Atlanta.