Week 10 a Legacy Game for Cousins
Dustin Baker
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Week 10 a Legacy Game for Cousins
The topic of Kirk Cousins, in general, is the most cantankerous of all topics among Vikings loyalists. Annually, “fire the coach” and “fire the general manager” are customary discussions – no matter how the team is playing. Minnesota even won a road playoff game in 2019, and some folks still called for the ouster of head coach Mike Zimmer.
But the oscillation of “fire Zimmer” and “fire Spielman” pales in comparison to the angst surrounding Cousins. The 32-year-old is the owner of the seventh-best passer rating in NFL history, but many fans want the franchise to move on. Only Russell Willson, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Dak Prescott, Tony Romo, and Tom Brady are beholders of higher career passer ratings. (Side note: Passer ratings are, indeed, inflated as of late due to NFL rules changes).
Cousins is capable of statistical and eye-test stardom in most football games. Sometimes, however, he is “off” his game and the subsequent output is subterranean. Cousins’ one major problem as an NFL quarterback is that his bad games are especially bad when compared to his peers with similar statistics.
It also does not aid the narrative that Cousins is generously compensated. Mike Zimmer’s offense needs a quarterback that protects the football and makes a handful of bold plays throughout a game. A man earning as much as Cousins should probably be able to take over a game by his lonesome. In spots, Cousins does this – but not every time as a player like Patrick Mahomes or Russell Wilson might. Cousins is closer to a Carson Palmer than he is a Peyton Manning.
All in all, the Week 10 contest at Chicago is a stratospheric test for Cousins. Here’s why.
The Exorcism of Monday Demons
If you’re in the business of secrets, here’s one: Kirk Cousins is 0-9 in Monday Night Football games. “Quarterback Wins” are the subject of ample debate. Is it fair to adjudicate a quarterback via wins when there are 52 other players on a football team? Does the number of wins that quarterback’s team notches prove that his leadership is paramount?
Perception is reality. Cousins has never won a game on a Monday night. Six of the losses occurred while he was the signal-caller in Washington. Three of them have happened during his Vikings tenure – twice to the Seahawks, once to the Packers.
Individually, Cousins is average on Mondays from a statistical standpoint. He has a 12 touchdown to six interception split in the nine games. His passer rating is 89.5 – well below his career rating of 96.8 but not horrendous as a standalone stat.
In the nine Monday night games, his team’s defense has allowed 28.2 points per game – a very large number. A player like Ben Roethlisberger – who has effectively the same MNF passer rating as Cousins – has a 15-4 record on Mondays. This is because the Pittsburgh Steelers surrendered an average of 16.2 points in those 19 games. Defense matters.
Cousins needs to shut up the Monday night birthers. He must help the Vikings win at Chicago on Monday night.
Winless as a Viking vs. Bears
If the long-term plan is to ultimately exile Cousins from the Vikings, he will not be shown the door because of his Monday night follies. A precursor to his exodus would more likely involve his performance against the Bears.
Cousins has not defeated the Bears since joining Minnesota in the spring of 2018. The Vikings have lost four consecutive games to Chicago, and Cousins was at the helm for three of those meetings. Soldier Field, as of late, has been emblematic of a horror movie for the Vikings, and players like Cousins and Dalvin Cook have done little to change the screenplay.
As a member of the Washington Football Team, Cousins and his bunch toppled the Bears twice. In fact, he was undefeated in this mini-sample size. Why the hell can’t he beat the Monsters of the Midway with the Vikings? He has to do it in Week 10 or at least look damn sharp during the conquest.
Pivotal Point of 2020 Season
Monday Night Football – check. Finally downing the Bears – check. What’s left?
Minnesota was left for dead after a decrepit showing against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6. The game was held at U.S. Bank Stadium and felt like a “gimme” as the Falcons were winless entering the weekend. Then, the Vikings lost at home to the team without any wins and looked sophomoric while doing so.
The ship has since been righted – a little bit – because the purple and gold shocked the Packers in Wisconsin and bullied the Lions in Minnesota. A small winning streak has bespeckled a season that was considered “lost” less than three weeks ago.
The Vikings are on the brink of winning three straight division games after a 1-5 start. Cousins [along with Dalvin Cook and the defense] can be the continual foreman of this recent stretch of prosperity in Chicago. A win will instantly inject a futility vaccine into a couple of humongous narratives that follow him.