The perception is that Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins doesn’t do well under pressure.
While that might be true in big games, in the literal sense of being on the field and feeling pressure from opposing defensive lineman, that’s not true. Per NFL.com’s NextGen rankings, Cousins ranked as the league’s fifth-best quarterback under pressure in 2019.
Cousins had a 91.5 passer rating and a +3.8% completion rate above what was expected (58.1%).
Here’s what NFL.com’s Nick Shook wrote about Cousins:
Cousins was a stud under pressure in the earliest years of NGS tracking, which helped destroy a narrative of him being average at the absolute best. But thanks to a play-action offense built out of an emphatic rushing attack led by Dalvin Cook, Cousins doesn’t face as much pressure as he once did. Even with that considered, he still lands in the top five of most under-pressure metrics. His passer rating under pressure was fifth-best, his completion percentage under pressure was fourth-best and his completion percentage above expectation while pressured was also in the top five. You won’t often see Cousins’ name mentioned among the Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes of the league, but he has the numbers to back it up.
While it’s good that Cousins did well under pressure, it’s bad that he’s under pressure in the first place and the Vikings would very much like to change that in 2020.
You can view the top-10 list here.