The Minnesota Vikings defeated the Green Bay Packers on Sunday in large part due to the aggressiveness of Kirk Cousins. But if you think that Cousins’ desire to throw downfield was a fluke, Mike Zimmer has a message for you.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Zimmer told reporters that he wants Cousins to continue to throw downfield as the Vikings make their push toward the playoffs.
“I want him to keep [throwing] it like he’s [throwing] it,” Zimmer said. “If you throw an interception, you throw an interception. That’s life. If we keep going for the jugular, that opens up a lot of other things.”
The aggressive approach was on full display on Sunday when Cousins racked up 341 yards and three touchdowns. While Cousins has put up big stats before, he logged a season-high average depth of target at 11.2 yards against the Packers.
That number is a huge contrast to his season average of 7.5 yards but it didn’t come without risk. Cousins threw two interceptions on the day but one was overturned on a roughing the passer penalty and the other via replay review. He also completed a laser to Adam Thielen on the final drive that had Cousins lamenting his decisions during Sunday’s post-game presser.
“I don’t think you want to live doing that,” Cousins said. “I think we got away with it a couple times and I keep saying the words ‘razor’s edge’ but that’s a play where it’s an example of it. The difference between him catching that and making the play he did to going the other way is very small.”
Cousins’s comments represent the balance between being aggressive and wreckless. While Cousins lit up the Packers on Sunday, he also has moments where he sinks the offense. The 2020 season is one example, where Cousins threw an NFL-high 10 interceptions in the first six games en route to a 1-5 start.
But Sunday’s game was a bigger example of when things go right, helping Justin Jefferson tally 169 yards and two touchdowns.
Perhaps Cousins should consult Luke Braun of the Locked On Vikings Podcast, who created the Kirk Cousins Chaos Meter. The meter describes the perfect amount of aggressiveness which keeps the offense moving and saves everyone from “ConservaKirk” or “Chaos Kirk.”
#CousinsChaosMeter for week 11! If Savage's pick doesn't squirt out I think we get Kirk in the red for the first time on the year. But instead, we are appropriately pointing directly at the Griddy. Heck of a couple games from him pic.twitter.com/iNoTK7c2pM
— Luke Braun (@LukeBraunNFL) November 21, 2021
Even if Cousins doesn’t feel comfortable with it, pushing the ball downfield has fueled the Vikings’ over the past two weeks. If they want to make the playoffs, finding “Peak Kirk” may be their best hope.
