Credit for the Minnesota Vikings’ success this season can be shared in many ways.
Kevin O’Connell has brought a cohesiveness to the locker room that had been missing over the final years of the Mike Zimmer era. Justin Jefferson may be on his way to 2,000 yards receiving and even kicker Greg Joseph has shaken off some early-season woes to be the hero in Minnesota’s latest stunning victory.
However, when it comes to Kirk Cousins, the credit is nowhere to be found.
Cousins has been the Vikings’ giant purple scapegoat since arriving in Minnesota and even with a 12-3 record he still hasn’t received credit for having one of the best seasons of his career.
At first glance, Cousins isn’t going to win any popularity contests. His first three years as a full-time starter with the Washington Commanders were filled with empty statistics and a 24-23-1 record.
Cousins’ first four years in Minnesota followed the same trajectory, throwing for at least 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns in three of his four seasons, but compiling a record of 33-29-1 with just one playoff appearance.
There’s also been a wide variety of narratives in between. Cousins is the quarterback that has an 11-18 record in primetime games. He’s the quarterback that took a knee while he was trying to stop the clock. He’s the quarterback that lined up behind the guard in San Francisco and recently admitted that his wife dresses him for postgame press conferences.
In a world where Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Joe Burrow are the kids that run the school, Cousins is the kid getting stuffed into a locker. But this season has been different and the Vikings have benefitted greatly.
Cousins’s stats are some of the worst of his career, including a 7.0 average air yards per attempt, which is his lowest since he became a full-time starter in 2015. He also grades as PFF’s No. 14 quarterback after ranking fourth last season, but he’s made up for it when it matters the most.
According to Pro Football Reference, Cousins has eight fourth-quarter comebacks this season, which is the same number he produced in his first four seasons with the Vikings. It also is tied with Matthew Stafford (2016) for the most in a single season during the Super Bowl era (circa 1966).
While that also means the Vikings have been routinely trailing during the fourth quarter, Cousins’s ability to respond has helped them go 11-0 in one-score games this season.
This has also come behind an offensive line that has improved but still isn’t fixed. Christian Darrisaw’s emergence as an elite left tackle has helped but Cousins still plays behind rookie Ed Ingram, who leads all offensive linemen with 53 pressures and Ezra Cleveland, who ranks third with 47 pressures allowed.
With two weak links (and potentially a third in Garrett Bradbury), the Vikings’ offensive line has allowed 238 total pressures this season. Only Justin Herbert, who has faced 247 pressures, has been under siege more than Cousins, but he still has managed to post an 83.1 passer rating under pressure – the sixth-highest clip in the NFL.
This has also come with a surrounding cast that hasn’t lived up to the hype. At 1.12 yards per route run, Adam Thielen is having the worst season of his career. Dalvin Cook has one of the lowest success rates in the NFL. K.J. Osborn has been quiet outside of a monster game against the Indianapolis Colts and Irv Smith Jr. has been an afterthought due to an ankle injury.
There’s also something to be said for the change in Cousins’s demeanor, now unafraid to let it rip on the field and make fun of himself off of it.
This has led to a new Cousins, but the credit has been directed elsewhere. Even more bizarre is that Cousins has been discounted because of the presence of Jefferson while other quarterbacks have also thrown to elite weapons such as Travis Kelce, Ja’Marr Chase and Stefon Diggs.
NFL Network’s Kyle Brandt pointed out the discrepancy asking why Cousins doesn’t get more kudos for his performance.
Thoughts on Kirk Cousins.
I regret nothing. pic.twitter.com/6to4lV012R
— Kyle Brandt (@KyleBrandt) December 26, 2022
“It is OK to talk about the Vikings and say [that] Kirk Cousins is excellent,” Brandt said on Monday’s episode of Good Morning Football. “…I am not here for this prejudice against Kirk Cousins that has existed and it is in our systems and our blood as football media people and it comes from a lot of things. The corniness of his personality, the size of his paychecks, years ago losses he suffered on primetime in different organizations in different eras and different head coaches…turn to Kirk Cousins with fresh eyes on a Sunday and make sure it’s in the fourth quarter when quarterbacks really show who they are. You will not see another quarterback playing better in the entire NFL this year in the biggest moments. The stats wear it out. The eye test wears it out and there’s still nothing.”
There’s a group of people that won’t be impressed unless Cousins takes the Vikings on a deep playoff run, but with the way he’s been playing this year, it’s more possible than it’s been at any point during his time in Minnesota.
