Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins looked good in the passing game last season, but there was one aspect of his game he continued to struggle with.
Cousins lacked the improvisational ability often required of an NFL quarterback. When he was pressured, he very rarely was able to evade defenders. When the play didn’t go as planned, it usually broke down.
But this year, that has not been the case, especially last game. Cousins did a good job of avoiding sacks and finding open receivers down field against the Panthers. Vikings offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak has taken notice.
“I think you’ve got to give him the credit,” Kubiak said of Cousins. “When he came back from last year, we kind of put together a book and said here are some things we want to improve upon. And that was a big key: making more plays with your feet, bailing us out of some bad situations or some bad calls with some movement.”
When you look at the numbers, it seems like Cousins has improved in his mobility for the most part.
Cousins has 77 rushing yards in 2020 compared to 63 all of last season. However, it should be pointed out he’s not far off his sack totals from 2019. He has been sacked 21 times already, compared to 28 times in 2019.
Sacks, of course, do not tell the whole story. According to Pro Football Reference, the Vikings have conceded 87 pressures this year (24.9% of drop backs).
The team gave up 117 pressures all of last season (23.3% of drop backs), per Pro Football Reference. That means the Vikings are getting pressured more this year on a percentage basis, so the sack totals may be misleading by the end of the year if that continues.
Cousins has had to deal with pretty spotty play at right guard. Josh Klein, the right guard from 2019, was probably better than all the Vikings’ options at that position this year besides Ezra Cleveland. And Dakota Dozier has been inconsistent in the left guard spot in 2020.
Also, Cousins’ rushing grade has improved this season, per PFF. His grade for rushing was 30.5 in 2019 and it’s now 78.2 this season.
So it seems like based on the eye test, PFF, Kubiak’s comments and his rushing stats, Cousins has improved in his mobility. Only time will tell whether his play at quarterback overall is the answer the Vikings need for a deep playoff run.