Oddsmakers Forecast ‘Typical’ Year for Kirk Cousins
Minnesota Vikings fans are accustomed to their quarterback throwing about 4,000 passing yards and 30 touchdowns per season over the last four years. And while some Vikings faithful don’t believe that is enough for Kirk Cousins’ pricetag, similar production is on the way, according to Vegas oddsmakers.
BetOnline.ag circulated over-unders for all NFL quarterbacks this week, excluding a handful of teams with unknown factors at the position, like the Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cleveland Browns. Because the Vikings are firmly committed to Cousins through the end of the 2023 season, his prop bets were available.
[brid video=”1042475″ player=”30316″ title=”The%204%20Ways%20Harrison%20Smith%20Can%20Reach%20the%20Hall%20of%20Fame” duration=”602″ description=”Dustin Baker examines the paths for Harrison Smith to the HOF.” uploaddate=”2022-06-28″ thumbnailurl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/19437/snapshot/1042475_th_1656442230.jpg” contentUrl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/19437/sd/1042475.mp4″ width=”16″ height=”9″]
For starters, though, these are yearly averages from Cousins since he became a full-time starter in 2015:
Kirk Cousins Season Averages (2015-2021)
4,223 Passing Yards
29 Passing TDs
10 INTs
101.1 Passer Rating
And, these were Cousins numbers from the ill-fated 2021 season that caused the terminations of Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer:
Kirk Cousins (2021)
4,221 Passing Yards
33 Passing TDs
7 INTs
103.1 Passer Rating
With a new coach and potentially enhanced offensive line, per BetOnline.ag, these are the wagering odds for Cousins in 2022:
Or, one can read the numbers this way:
Kirk Cousins (2022 Forecast)
4,100.5 Passing Yards
31.5 Passing TDs
10 INTs
Passer rating props are unavailable as the odds don’t dig deep enough to tabulate completion percentage.
The 35-million-dollar question asked by Vikings enthusiasts — is that impressive and typical statline from Cousins good enough to nudge the team into the playoffs? The standalone statistics from Cousins are undoubtedly worthy of playoff contention, but during the last two seasons, the Vikings postseason prospects have been undone by suspect offensive line pass protection and a severely diminished defense, unrecognizable from the 2014-2019 versions.
Thankfully for Cousins’ sake, he’s now partnered with a former coworker in O’Connell. The two worked together in 2017, with O’Connell as the Commanders quarterback coach.
Per Vegas odds, Tom Brady, Justin Herbert, Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott, Josh Allen, and Matthew Stafford are slated to top Cousins’ touchdown total.
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 Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
Vikings Territory: 13 Snap Reactions after Vikings-Packers
You must be logged in to post a comment.