Cousins Silences Critics at the Best Possible Time
Dustin Baker
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Mired in incessant debates as the focal point of the “quarterback record” statistic, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins is finally changing the narrative pertaining to his career body of work.
It wasn’t easy.
Beginning a pivotal Vikings season in 2021, Cousins’ quarterback record was an even-steven 51-51-2 (.500) — you know, like Hall of Famer Eli Manning. Thankfully for Manning’s sake, he escaped the wrath of mediocrity with two Super Bowl victories over the New England Patriots. Otherwise, if it wasn’t for those miraculous happenings, Tom Brady would be the owner of nine rings on his fingers.
The Vikings — the team — did not make the commencement of 2021 easy on Cousins. Not one bit. Despite his pull-them-by-the-collar efforts to win games at Cincinnati and Arizona, Minnesota found Vikingsesque ways to lose. First, Dalvin Cook fumbled the football in overtime against the Bengals, ixnaying the Vikings visions of a Week 1 triumph. Minus that turnover, new kicker Greg Joseph would’ve lined up a long field goal in Ohio for a potential roadmap to 1-0. Never happened. Then, sitting at 0-1, the same kicker conducted his fanciest piece of Vikingsism, missing a chip-shot field goal in Arizona, a kick holding hopes for a 1-1 Vikings record through two weeks. Nope.
Both tasks were too much to ask for.
Meanwhile, Cousins did his job in both games beyond a reasonable doubt. For the most part, he even wiggled away from the wrath of a seething “QB Wins” crowd. That club has a robust membership. Nevertheless, Cousins owned near-perfect statistics while his team was bungling “his” would-be wins in Week 1 and 2. Too, these numbers accrued in meaningful game time — folks absolutely adore clinging to a factless claim suggesting Cousins does “most of his damage” in garbage time. The relentless talking point is categorically false.
On Sunday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium, Cousins effectuated his trifecta, stringing together three magnificent games to start 2021. Mind you, September is habitually Cousins’ “worst” month, preferring the settle-in approach of October and November. This is why you hear fans mentioning “Kirkvember” because, well, the man is deadly in November (in a good way).
But November started early for Cousins as the Vikings signal-caller has dimed eight touchdowns to no interceptions and no lost fumbles on the backbone of 918 passing yards. Don’t blink, this is MVP stuff — if the team was 2-1 or 3-0.
Through three weeks, Cousins is the only quarterback in the NFL to toss more than seven touchdowns to no interceptions. Nobody else has done that. Russell Wilson, who the Vikings just vanquished, is close with seven scores to no interceptions.
And then there are nuggets like this:
Kirk Cousins’ last 13 games:
32 TDs
3 INTs— Adam Patrick (@adampatrickNFL) September 26, 2021
It’s truly unreal to look at the stat above and surmise, “Yeah, not gonna cut it.” Be objective for a moment — try and find a way to discount those two simple numbers. There is no garbage-time or dink-and-dunk argument to use as safe haven.
The only disadvantage right now for Cousins and the Vikings in appreciating the quarterback play is the upside-down team win-loss record. The Vikings are 1-2. They must win a handful of games as momentum after topping the Seahawks — a team Minnesota had not solved since 2009.
A first in his Vikings career, Cousins is being allotted time in the pocket to throw the football. In portions of games, Cousins has experienced this for three-plus years but never back-to-backers.
This is a glimpse of what Cousins can do with normal pass protection. It is not the 1990s Dallas Cowboys — but it doesn’t need to be. If the Vikings do not reach the postseason — and probably win games in that tournament — Cousins and his head coach, Mike Zimmer, will undergo intense evaluation by the front office. So, protected-Cousins in the trenches arrived at a wonderful time, rest assured.
Some spots of the fanbase are undergoing galvanization pertaining to Cousins — and it’s all because the men in front of him are halfway competent in holding off pass rushers.
Whoodathunkit.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).