Leading up to Week 11 of the NFL season, ESPN and their NFL experts came up with a top five MVP watch list. Over the last few weeks, two names have emerged as front runners for the MVP award. Russell Wilson and Lamar Jackson have both been playing …
Leading up to Week 11 of the NFL season, ESPN and their NFL experts came up with a top five MVP watch list. Over the last few weeks, two names have emerged as front runners for the MVP award.
Russell Wilson and Lamar Jackson have both been playing MVP worthy football, and as of right now it looks like one of them will end up winning the honors. However, ESPN included five different names in their watch list.
After the Sunday slate of games in Week 11, ESPN also released the current MVP odds.
All of the names listed above have been having an outstanding season thus far, but Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins needs to be added to the list.
Through 11 games this season, Cousins has completed 226 of his 320 passes for 2,756 yards and 21 touchdowns. He has also completed over 70 percent of his passes with a passer rating of 114.8, while only throwing three interceptions all season.
Cousins numbers stack up right with his NFC North rival Aaron Rodgers, who made ESPN’s list of MVP candidates.
Rodgers has played one less game than Cousins, but their numbers are extremely similar. Through 10 games, Rodgers has completed 225 of his 347 passes for 2,718 yards and 17 touchdowns. Where Cousins edges out Rodgers is with his completion percentage and passer rating. Rodgers has completed nearly 65 percent of his passes with a rating of 102.7.
Rodgers has already won the MVP twice, and been an elite talent in the league since he took over the starting duties in Green Bay. However that shouldn’t negate the fact that Cousins has played just as well as him not only in 2019, but since he arrived in Minnesota.
The Vikings are coming off a 27-23 victory over the Denver Broncos, a game in which Cousins proved he was worth every penny of his $84 million contract. After a disappointing start to the game, the Vikings found themselves in a 20-0 hole at halftime. They started the third quarter in a hurry, coming out in a two-minute offense and scoring on the first drive.
After his first touchdown to Irv Smith Jr., Cousins didn’t look back. He finished off the 27 point comeback by completing 18 of his 23 attempts for 261 yards and 3 touchdowns and helped his team find the end zone on every drive in the second half. He did all of this against a great defense, with almost no help from the run game and without his No. 1 receiver in Adam Thielen.
In back-to-back weeks, Cousins has now won on the road against a team with a winning record, won a primetime game and completely carried his team to a comeback that’s more impressive than any in the last 40 years.
It’s time for the narratives on the Vikings’ quarterback to change. Cousins has beaten every single narrative he has been given in his career in 2019, and has shown no signs of slowing down. When he arrived in Minnesota, one of his biggest concerns was how often he turns the ball over.
In his last 177 pass attempts, Cousins has not thrown an interception, a stat that leads all quarterbacks in the NFL. It should also be noted that the last interception he threw was a ball that slipped between the hands of Stefon Diggs, so the streak could be even longer.
Not only has he limited the interceptions, but he is also making some insane throws. Head coach Mike Zimmer talked about how impressive the Broncos game was for Cousins in his press conference on Monday.
Cousins has had his ups and downs in Minnesota, but statistically speaking he is on pace to not only have a great season, but also have one of the best seasons in Vikings history. It is time to negate the narratives that hang over Cousins head, and put his name alongside the other candidates for MVP of the 2019 season.
