Dec 24, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) looks on from the bench during the second quarter against the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports.
Minnesota Vikings-themed social media erupted Wednesday in a debate involving Kirk Cousins — imagine that, huh?
Folks hotly debated whether Vikings fans should boo Cousins personally this weekend when his team travels to Minneapolis for a date with Cousins’ old team.
Cousins quarterbacked the Vikings for six years before joining the Atlanta Falcons as a free agent in March.
Fans mostly split on the notion of showering Cousins with boos, as some respected his contributions to the team from 2018 to 2023 and found it unnecessary to lambast the man this weekend. Others — much more vocal respondents — do not care about Cousins’ role on the team in those six seasons and even hinted they’d boo the hell out of Adam Thielen, too, if he returned to U.S. Bank Stadium as a guest.
Meanwhile, Cousins talked to reporters on Wednesday and seemed to acknowledge that the boos would be on the agenda. “They’re great fans, they’re great football fans. I would think, as a result, they would make it as hostile as they can for us. It’s a great fan base,” Cousins said about Minnesotans and his expectations for Week 14.
The Vikings are favored to topple Cousins and Co. by six points.
“I had been to the Washington stadium many, many times, but I’d never been to it in that way. I kind of felt like a rookie in that sense. That’ll have the same feeling, I assume, on Sunday where it’s — I’ve been here many times, but in this way, this is the first … But at the end of the day, you’re there to go play a football game and go play your best and win, and that’s where your focus is, ultimately,” Cousins continued.
Sam Darnold will lead the Vikings at QB1 against Atlanta, and through 12 games, he’s outplayed Cousins in Atlanta — at a price tag $30 million cheaper than Cousins’.
Cousins concluded, “We got to get back on the right track, and the best thing we can do is get another game here, so I would love to play Wednesday, really, with how much you want to get back out there and get this taste out of your mouth. That’s what we’re chasing for on Sunday is a much better outing, and they’re not going to give it to us, I know that.”
Minnesota ranks seventh leaguewide at the moment per Super Bowl odds (+1700), while Atlanta, with a +9000 moneyline, is 15th.
Cousins has never played as a guest at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.