The Handsomely Paid Vikings QB Might Have to Win Another Shootout on Sunday
When the Minnesota Vikings broke the bank in 2018, signing quarterback Kirk Cousins to a fully guaranteed contract, nobody knew the man might eventually spearhead an offense first team.
The Vikings were fresh off the steam — and disappointment — of an NFC Championship appearance, falling to the Philadelphia Eagles two months prior. Cousins was acquired to put Minnesota over the top, serving as an anti-Keenum after the conference championship meltdown.
At the time, Minnesota was affirmatively a defensively sound outfit, seemingly needing the Vikings offense to get the scoreboard to about 21 points. After that, Mike Zimmer’s defense usually took care of the rest.
Well, that’s all changed.
Minnesota’s defense never returned to its 2017 prowess. In fact, from 2018 to 2020, Zimmer’s cherished gem deteriorated every season. The rottenness climaxed in 2020 when the Vikings finished fourth-worst in the business for points allowed. Thankfully for Zimmer’s sake, the 2021 version of the defense is better, but it still allows big plays to the opposition in awful spots.
Because of the defensive porousness, Cousins and his playmakers have been called upon to finish games and become the team’s identity. It’s a new feeling for Zimmer. The Vikings are now like many NFL teams — possessing an offensive capable of tossing 30+ points on the board while the defense is decent but not great.
Injuries don’t help either — especially this week. The Vikings will be sans their entire defensive line for various reasons, so Cousins and Co. might be called upon [again] to win another shootout for the Vikings.
Cousins’ number was dialed last weekend versus the Green Bay Packers — and he delivered. Perhaps Aaron Rodgers and the Packers scored “too fast” down the stretch, but Cousins didn’t care. Like he has done several times in 2021, Cousins is putting the Vikings in a position to win shootout games — a fabulous return on investment for his famously large contract.
Traveling to San Francisco this weekend, it is unlikely that Minnesota’s defense suddenly finds run-stuffing success while shutting down the 49ers offensive enterprise. Therefore, just like Week 11, Cousins will probably be needed to deliver over and over through the air. And so far, he’s delivered in those moments.
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The temptation is to believe “these are the Zimmer Vikings, for God’s sake.” Yet, the days of his hellish defense might be officially over. In 2021, they’re a pretty-good defense but nothing like the menace from 2017 or parts of 2018.
Correspondingly, Zimmer has morphed into a gambler in recent weeks. He realized his defense doesn’t close out ballgames anymore and thus pivoted to allow the offense some leeway. Klint Kubiak’s offense is taking shots and acting boldly amid the last two games. In toppling the Los Angeles Chargers and Green Bay Packers, it’s paid off.
Normally, a Zimmer vs. Shanahan bout would feel like a run-the-football duel. But this one might transgress to another shootout — in which the Vikings are now are fairly familiar.
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).
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