The Cowboys know what they’re in for when Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson steps onto the field. Dallas safety Jayron Kearse this week called him “the best receiver in the league, hands down,” and Jefferson’s ridiculous catch against Buffalo last Sunday backs up that claim.
The Cowboys are even more familiar with the guy who’ll be throwing Jefferson the ball. But what they’ll get from the Minnesota quarterback on Sunday is a far bigger roll of the dice.
Which Kirk Cousins will Dallas see when they visit U.S. Bank Stadium?
The iced-out Captain Kirk who danced shirtless on the plane ride home after yet another win earlier this month?
Or the dorky dad-to-be who nearly missed a cardboard target from three yards away at his son’s gender reveal party?
The answer to that could dictate whether the Cowboys get their playoff pursuit back on track. To do it, they’ll need to take down a red-hot 8-1 Vikings squad who has put quite an arsenal of offensive playmakers at their quarterback’s disposal.
“Kirk Cousins is playing as well as I’ve seen him play,” McCarthy said Friday morning on 105.3 The Fan. “His consistency and his efficiency are both very high.”
Having surefire Pro Bowler Justin Jefferson and running back Dalvin Cook- currently seventh in the league in rushing yards per game- certainly helps in that regard. But the coach also cited veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen and newly-acquired tight end T.J. Hockenson as important complementary pieces that give Cousins plenty of options with the ball.
“This is a well, well-balanced offense,” said McCarthy admired.
The Cowboys know Cousins intimately after his six seasons in the NFC East with Washington. Subsequent meetings with the Vikings in every season since 2019 (the quarterback’s second with the club) have only added to the two parties’ shared history, though that history shows itself to be decidedly one-sided.
Cousins is 2-8 all-time versus Dallas.
That’s the most losses he’s been handed by any single opponent; no other team has beaten the 11th-year man more than five times.
And oddsmakers don’t exactly love him to buck that trend this week; Minnesota is an exceedingly rare home underdog for this Sunday afternoon’s clash.
If Vegas doesn’t buy into the Cousins boom of 2022, it may be partly because he’s traditionally been a bust against good clubs.
The Michigan State product has a career record of just 10-40 versus teams with a winning record, per David Helman of Fox Sports.
The Vikings kicked off 2022 with a decisive win over Green Bay (a feat that looks less impressive the more the Packers play against anyone not wearing a star on their hats). After a Week 2 stumble versus Philadelphia, Minnesota hasn’t lost again, with victories along the way over Detroit, New Orleans, Chicago, Arizona, and Washington.
Not exactly the cream of the crop.
But seven straight wins is nothing to sneeze at, and they did beat Miami and Buffalo in there, too.
The Vikings are doing plenty right, and Cousins has been a key factor.
He currently stands in ninth place in the league in passing yards per game; his 261.8 average is better than Jalen Hurts and Aaron Rodgers, both of whom defeated Dallas this year. It’s also better than Dak Prescott’s mark entering Week 11.
So, again: which Kirk Cousins will the Cowboys face in Minneapolis this weekend?
Will it be the one who’s led his team to a league-leading five game-winning drives already?
Or the one who’s thrown eight interceptions, tied for third-most among all NFL passers?
Dallas linebacker Anthony Barr, who saw Cousins every day in practice for four seasons in the purple and gold, believes if the Cowboys defense- the league’s sack leaders- can pressure Cousins, that interception total might go up.
“Whoever gets to him, I’ll be happy,” Barr said this week of his ex-teammate, who has been sacked 20 times in nine outings. “Affect him a little bit, and hopefully he’ll throw us one.”
The Cowboys secondary, led by cornerback Trevon Diggs, will be on high alert for errant throws as they work to contain Jefferson, Cook, Thielen, and Hockenson.
“We’ve got great guys, too. Tre is playing at a high level, all our defensive guys are playing at high level. It’s going to be a battle,” cornerback Anthony Brown commented.
Cousins- and how effective the Dallas defense is in forcing the lesser version of him to come out- could go a long way in deciding who wins that battle.
“He’s a competitor,” Brown acknowledged. “Kirk’s going to fight to the end. He gives his guys a chance.”
But if the Cowboys can rattle Cousins the way they have in years past, he could just as easily give Dallas a chance… to break that purple winning streak.
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