Three weeks ago, the vast majority of Vikings fans wanted Kirk Cousins benched. They wanted to know how Minnesota could rid itself of the quarterback’s $28 million-per-year deal that keeps him with the team through 2020. (The answer: They couldn’t let him go with his fully guaranteed contract and the massive dead money hit.)
What an amazing turnaround it’s been for the Vikings and Cousins in October; three straight impressive wins led by outstanding QB performances. Cousins, who is the first NFL QB ever to pass for 300-plus yards with a passer rating of 130 or better in three straight games, now leads the league in passer rating (114.3).
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But so much is still on the line for Cousins, who could be extended after this season and join the $30 million-plus-per-year QB club if he can continue his current level of play through the year and into the playoffs. To get there, he has a lot of dragons to slay.
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Next on the Vikings’ schedule is Thursday night’s home game against the struggling Redskins, the team that drafted Cousins, made him a starter, strung him out on a couple of franchise tenders and then, in lieu of signing him long term, jettisoned him when it traded for Alex Smith.
There are lots of sub-plots to Thursday night’s game — including the return of Minneapolis Miracle manufacturer Case Keenum to U.S. Bank Stadium; ex-Vikings great Adrian Peterson being Washington’s leading rusher; the Vikings missing Pro Bowl receiver Adam Thielen, who strained his hamstring last Sunday — but none bigger than Cousins vs. his former team.
And there’s the fact that the Washington matchup marks the first of five prime-time kickoffs for Minnesota over the last nine games this season, which brings up several black marks on Cousins’ career record. He is 6-13 as a starter over his eight-year career in prime-time games, including an ugly 0-7 record on Monday nights. He also carries a 6-27 record against winning teams (which is not an issue this week against 1-6 Washington).
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A win Thursday night would put the Vikings in good position with a 6-2 mark at the season’s mid-point. But bigger tests for Cousins and the improved Vikings offense are coming soon, starting the next two weeks at division leaders Kansas City and Dallas (on a Sunday night). Two weeks later comes a trip to Seattle for a Monday night game. And in mid-December, Minnesota faces the Chargers on a Sunday night in LA.
These challenging away games lead to another stat the Cousins critics reference — his 15-25-2 record on the road.
Cousins said before the season he is determined to change what he calls "the narrative" on his career as "pretty much a .500 quarterback so far." He said the only way to do that is by winning big, including "multiple playoff games this year."
The good news for Cousins is he has the best supporting cast of his career.
Minnesota’s offensive line is much improved with the additions of free-agent guard Josh Kline and first-round center Garrett Bradbury. O-line coach Rick Dennison and offensive advisor Gary Kubiak have worked with offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski to incorporate a zone blocking scheme in the running game, which is a great fit for their mobile linemen, excellent blocking tight ends and a good lead-blocking fullback in C.J. Ham. The key to the league’s No. 3 rushing attack is Dalvin Cook, whose 725 yards on the ground leads the league.
The Vikings’ receiving corps is among the league’s best, but it was underutilized in the first four games, leading to the tipping point after the Bears game when Thielen publicly asked for a more balanced attack. Then Stefon Diggs skipped a day of practice in a protest that cost him $200,000 in fines.
Since then, Cousins’ passing efficiency has improved dramatically with greater accuracy and better decision-making, which has enabled Stefanski to embrace a balanced attack. He has had a more confident Cousins utilizing a strength of his, which is the play-action passing game to capitalize on defenses overreacting to Cook and the running threat.
On play-action passes alone (per Pro Football Focus), Cousins has completed 32 of 42 passes for 592 yards and 7 touchdowns with no interceptions over the last three games. Stefanski also has gotten Cousins on the move through play-action rollouts, buying time for Thielen and Diggs to get open downfield. The talented Vikings tight end duo of Kyle Rudolph and rookie Irv Smith Jr. also have been targeted more with five catches each last week.
Coach Mike Zimmer is certainly pleased with his QB's recent reversal of fortune after what looked like a potential train wreck earlier this season. “He’s played very well,” Zimmer said. “Probably the best I’ve seen him play since he’s been here, obviously.”
Zimmer would love to see his QB get his first career playoff win if the Vikings can reach postseason, but the veteran coach knows the team must navigate a second-half schedule full of tough road games. And there’s a pair of home games at season’s end against Green Bay (yikes for Cousins; it’s on a Monday night) and then Chicago (winner of three straight against Minnesota). Those final two games likely will determine the NFC North champion.
Cousins’ first season in Minnesota was a disappointment despite some decent stats. After coming to a team with Super Bowl aspirations, the 8-7-1 season that ended with a home loss to the Bears with a playoff spot on the line left a foul odor. The pressure on Cousins has only intensified this year with the early losses in Green Bay and Chicago.
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Now, even with the Vikings’ strong running game and usually reliable defense, Cousins clearly is the key to ultimate success for this team.
Cousins is showing more leadership this year and says he plays best with an edge, which will be easy to lean on this week against his old team. But he'll need to keep that edge going forward. He’d love to have a great season with playoff success and then perhaps punctuate it to his doubters with a big, “How do you like me now?”
He likes to shout those kinds of questions.
Jeff Diamond is a former president of the Titans and former vice president/general manager of the Vikings. He was selected NFL Executive of the Year in 1998. Diamond is currently a business and sports consultant who also does broadcast and online media work. He makes speaking appearances to corporate/civic groups and college classes on negotiation and sports business/sports management. He is the former chairman and CEO of The Ingram Group. Follow Jeff on Twitter: @jeffdiamondNFL.
