Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins isn’t yet ready to predict where he’ll line up under center next year, but he does have a prediction for who will win Super Bowl LVIII between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in Las Vegas.
It should come as no surprise who he’s picking and who he’s pulling for: 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan was Cousins’ offensive coordinator during his first two seasons in Washington, and Cousins told CBS Mornings he’s hoping to see his former coach hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
“The Chiefs have won two rings, so I’m happy for them, love them, I think they’ve got a lot of great people on that staff and on that team. I was coached by Kyle Shanahan my first two years, he’s the reason I was drafted and he’s believed in me my whole career – I gotta pull for Kyle Shanahan,” Cousins said Friday on CBS Mornings.
.@Vikings QB @KirkCousins8 shares his #SBLVIII expectations and predictions, including why he’s rooting for the @49ers: “It’s gonna be a close one…You feel the magnitude.” pic.twitter.com/C3ax6mVQTs
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) February 9, 2024
Cousins said that he does expect it to be a close game, however, one that could come down to a field goal or fourth-down conversion.
“You feel on every snap that that play, that penalty, that catch, that drop, could be the difference of winning a world championship or going home, watching the confetti for somebody else,” he said.
Cousins admitted that the Chiefs’ experience playing in three of the last four Super Bowls — including two wins, one of which came against the 49ers — is a valuable asset that could make them play looser because, as he described it, they’re “playing with house money,” a fitting analogy for a Super Bowl taking place in Las Vegas.
Cousins also offered some advice for second-year 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy.
“Well, if I was him in my second year, I would be pretty overwhelmed, but he has shown a cool under pressure for the last two years, he’s played in many big games,” Cousins said of Purdy. “I think the playoff games already leading up to the Super Bowl were high-pressure moments. I just think he needs to keep doing what he’s been doing, trust his coaches, trust his teammates, he’ll be ready.”
And as for his final score prediction?
“I’m pulling hard for the Niners, so I’m gonna say — you know, these games have been high scoring, Chiefs defense has been good — 28-27 Niners, but that’s probably more just going with my heart than with my head,” Cousins said.
