How Close Is Kirk Cousins to MVP Contention?
Adam New
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Kirk Cousins has had a fantastic start to the season. Coupled with a wonderful end to last season, at this point, to still be “anti-Cousins” must take a special kind of stubbornness. He’s always been a good quarterback, and there have always been legitimate question marks — just not some of the tired narratives that have been constantly spun.
Opinion on the Vikings signal-caller has started to turn. However, he is probably one bad game away from being lambasted from all corners again. So far this season, there hasn’t been much to criticize.
For whatever reason, Kirk Cousins is playing the best and most consistent football of his career. It might be the scheme cooked up by Klint Kubiak that has seen Cousins getting the ball out of his hands quicker at times or the protection from the offensive line is better, which could also be leading to a more confident Cousins. The protection has been far from perfect this season, but when Cousins has come under pressure, he seems to be dealing with it better. Whatever the reason, fingers crossed it sustains over the next 10+ games.
Playing at a High Level
In the opening stretch of games, Cousins put together an impressive stat line of 166 of 239 for 1769 yards at a completion percentage of 69.5%., throwing for 13 touchdowns and just two interceptions. These are not unusual stats for Cousins. He is a consistent 4000 yards and 25-30 touchdowns per season man.
In years past, there have been games where he’s a disaster. Since throwing 10 interceptions in the opening six games of last season, in a run that included some terrible outings, Cousins has been solid, dependable, and at times explosive in the passing game. The doubters are waiting for that next game where he crumbles under pressure. They’ve been waiting for some time now — going through an entire season without such a game will be massive for Cousins and his reputation.
Whichever way you look, Cousins has been playing at a high level so far this season. Pro Football Focus gives him an overall grade of 89.9, the third-highest in the league. His passing grade of 88.0 is the fifth highest. He’s answered the critics who claimed he couldn’t perform when it counts by moving his team down the field and putting them in position to win game after game this season. This Sunday’s game against the Cowboys is a chance to quiet the “can’t do it primetime or against teams with a winning record” chatter.
The MVP Contenders
Where you find Kirk Cousins in the MVP discussion will somewhat depend on where you look. Some places have Cousins as high as the 11th favorite to win the MVP. Others are still ignoring him.
Even if he continues to have an almost flawless season, it feels unlikely he will be talked about in the same circles as Josh Allen, Kyler Murray, Aaron Rodgers, Dak Prescott, Patrick Mahomes, Mathew Stafford, Lamar Jackson, or Tom Brady. Right now, on the periphery of MVP talk, like being an outside bet and 11th favorite is fair. If, by the end of the season, he’s getting that recognition unanimously across the board., then that will be a considerable leap in how Cousins is broadly viewed.
The respect of being viewed around the top 10 of quarterbacks is long overdue. He might not be the MVP, but the recognition for Cousins would be an absolute win.