From @jzulgad: Kirk Cousins is playing well and having more fun than ever
The shining example of how much different things are this season for Kirk Cousins occurred Sunday, but it wasn’t on the turf at FedEx Field or in the visiting locker room following the Vikings’ come-from-behind 20-17 victory over the Washington Commanders.
Instead, it happened approximately 35,000 feet in the air as the Vikings’ charter flight made its way home. There it was, captured by teammates on their cell phones: A shirtless Cousins, glasses on, pumping his arms up and down with a plethora of bling hanging around his neck as several Vikings danced with him in the aisle of the airplane. The joy on Cousins’ face was obvious as he looked into one of the cameras and cracked a wide smile.
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There were times during Cousins’ first four seasons in Minnesota in which players would make it clear they liked Cousins and that only getting to the playoffs once in that time wasn’t held against him. But, more often than not, what the public and media saw was a guy who had little interest in sharing much of his personality. He seemed to be playing the role of what he thought a highly-paid quarterback should be, thus leading to this label: The Corporate Quarterback.
That has changed this season and Cousins, who has done several postgame photoshoots while sporting expensive jewelry that belongs to his teammates, seems to be having as much fun as anyone during the Vikings’ 7-1 start.
The latest victory featured a comeback from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit as the Vikings tied it in a 3-minute period on Greg Joseph’s 25-yard field goal, and Cousins’ beautiful 12-yard pass to Dalvin Cook that came after safety Harrison Smith returned an interception of a Taylor Heinicke pass 35 yards to the Commanders 12-yard line. Joseph’s 28-yard field goal with 12 seconds left was the game-winner.
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Cousins, no surprise, revived his “You like that?!” catchphrase in the postgame locker room. That was a phrase the public first heard in 2015 after Cousins directed a comeback victory over Tampa Bay while he was playing for Washington. This was Cousins’ first game back in Washington since signing a rich free-agent contract with the Vikings in 2018.
While Cousins has since signed two extensions with the Vikings, and put up some impressive stats, his time in Minnesota has been anything but smooth sailing. He and former coach Mike Zimmer, who was fired after last season, never saw eye-to-eye and Zimmer expressed reservations about Cousins’ signing even before it happened.
But new coach Kevin O’Connell has empowered Cousins far more than Zimmer did and, even though Cousins’ stats have taken a step back this season, he has played an important role in the Vikings’ getting off to their best start since 2009.
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What’s clear is that O’Connell has no issue with Cousins being himself and that has been freeing for the veteran quarterback. Cousins isn’t a classic leader. He’s a quirky 34-year-old guy, who comes across as more of a dad than a quarterback. Cousins seemed to try to hide that during his first four years with the Vikings in part because he probably knew his words and actions would be dissected.
That’s no longer an issue.
Cousins led the Vikings on an impressive game-opening drive Sunday as they went 78 yards on nine plays before he found Justin Jefferson on a 9-yard pass for a touchdown that would give Minnesota its only points until the fourth quarter. Cousins completed 22 of 40 passes for 265 yards with two touchdowns, one interception and an 81.8 passer rating.
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Even the interception wasn’t a bad thing as it came near the end of the first half when Cousins took a shot to Jefferson in the back corner of the end zone. It’s the exact type of pass Cousins needs to throw more often because it will lead to points.
Cousins’ most impressive moment came on a third-and-7 play from the Vikings 41. He dropped back to pass and took a big hit as he launched the ball down field for Jefferson. Jefferson made the catch and took it to the Washington 12-yard line for a 47-yard gain. Cousins remained down on the field long enough that he had to leave for a play as Nick Mullens took over. Cousins quickly returned and three players later Joseph kicked a field goal.
Cousins’ toughness is nothing new but it is impressive. Since taking over as Washington’s starting quarterback in 2015, he has missed two games. One came at the end of the 2019 season, when Cousins sat out against the Bears because the Vikings had their playoff position locked up. The other was late last season when Cousins missed a game at Green Bay because he was in the COVID protocols.
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But Cousins never has missed a game because of injury, and even seeing him go out for a play is rare. Combine that with the fact that Cousins has become clutch the last two years and much of the criticisms directed his way start to disappear. Sunday marked the fourth game-winning drive Cousins has led in the fourth quarter this season and the eighth he has directed in the fourth quarter or overtime since the beginning of last season.
The job won’t get any easier now, although the Vikings’ six-game winning streak has given them a comfortable 4.5-game lead over the Packers and Bears in the NFC North. Minnesota will play at Buffalo (6-2) next Sunday before starting a three-game homestand against Dallas (6-2), New England (5-4, on a short week) and the Jets (6-3).
The old Cousins likely would have gone into this stretch nervous about messing up and worried about saying the wrong thing. This Cousins might not put up great stats and he might throw a few more picks, but he’s also delivering in the clutch and embracing that success like never before.
It’s clear that Cousins’ teammates, not to mention Vikings fans, would agree on this: They like that!
Judd Zulgad is co-host of the Purple Daily Podcast and Mackey & Judd podcast at www.skornorth.com
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