NFL Analyst Criticizes Kirk Cousins for “Not Playing Well” in Vikings Comeback
Dustin Baker
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NFL Analyst Criticizes Kirk Cousins for “Not Playing Well” in Vikings Comeback
You know the drill by now. Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins takes the heat when his team loses and is rarely afforded credit when wins are on the menu. It’s the nature of the beast for Cousins, who entered the 2022 season with a perfectly average “quarterback record” of 59-59-2 (.500).
But on Saturday, Cousins helped orchestrate the largest comeback in NFL history after the Vikings bumbled to a 33-0 halftime deficit at home versus the Indianapolis Colts. Minnesota sprinted to the finish line late in 3rd Quarter and, of course, in the 4th Quarter and overtime. Ultimately, the Vikings won 39-36, flattening the Buffalo Bills 32-point 1992 comeback for bragging rights.
Still, not everyone was impressed by Cousins’ contribution to the mammoth comeback.
NFL Analyst Criticizes Kirk Cousins for “Not Playing Well” in Vikings Comeback
Most folks logically recognized Cousins’ heroism, but praise was not universal. NFL.com analyst Gregg Rosenthal was one of the detractors, tweeting late in the 4th Quarter, “It is very Kirk Cousins to not be playing that well during a 33-point comeback.”
Let it be clear — it is absolutely mind-boggling that any human, especially a paid NFL analyst, could watch the 2nd Half of Vikings-Colts and come up with a statement of “Cousins not playing that well.”
Why? Well, Cousins produced 417 passing yards and 4 touchdowns in a single half. No person had passed from more than 417 yards in the 2nd Half of a game in 45 years. The touchdowns, too, were not “garbage time” but instead totally vital — the lifeblood, even — to Minnesota’s epic comeback.
In fact, Cousins’ performance in the last two weeks, per passing yards, has transcended and defined Viking history:
Rosenthal’s declaration wasn’t the only head-scratching item from Cousins’ afternoon. ESPN assigned the man a 32.9 QBR for the game, which is akin to Houston Texans QB Davis Mills’ QBR for the 2022 season. ESPN basically determined that Cousins played like Mills on Saturday and implied that Cousins’ performance was lousy.
Thankfully for Cousins’ sake, Rosenthal’s comments mean next to nothing. Cousins’ role in the historic comeback is not defined by Rosenthal’s strange tweet. Yet, the statement is a continuation of the neverending cycle regarding Cousins. Some are thoroughly convinced isn’t a winner and unequivocally determined to discount anything Cousins does that could be portrayed as success. He’s the victim of eternal yeah-buts and “well, if…” And not for nothing, Rosenthal has a large audience and a lot of eyes and ears on his material.
Cousins created 4 touchdown passes and 417 passing yards in one single half of football while his team circumvented the largest deficit in the history of the sport. It was impossible for Cousins — or any quarterback in a similar situation — to serve a spectator or poor performer. Totally impossible.
But this is the way it goes for Cousins. His team now owns the greatest comeback ever, but in the minds of some, he “didn’t play that well.”
It’s a twilight zone.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. 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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