Kirk Cousins silences all doubters with the biggest throw of his career

Throughout his NFL career, Kirk Cousins has always been doubted. But after this wild-card win, he can stave off the cynics for one day.

It’s taken Kirk Cousins a long time to get the respect he has wanted. Selected in the fourth round of the 2012 draft by the Redskins out of Michigan State, Cousins didn’t become his team’s full-time starter until 2015. Through three seasons as the Redskins’ starter, Cousins finished fourth in completions (1,132), sixth in attempts (1,689), third in completion percentage among quarterbacks with at least 1.000 attempts (67.02%), fourth in yards (13,176), eighth in touchdown passes (81), and eighth in interceptions (36).

Still, there were entirely legitimate questions about Cousins’ ability to do the things required of quarterbacks at the highest level — throwing in the red zone, throwing under pressure, and seeing the entire field. The Redskins answered their own questions about Cousins by letting him walk after the 2017 season after franchising him in each of the previous two.

Cousins then signed a three-year, $84 million contract with the Vikings that was entirely guaranteed. Things did not always go well. His 2019 season has been spikier than you’d want from any quarterback; he combined for eight touchdowns and five interceptions in September and December, but managed 18 touchdowns to one interception in October and November.

Coming into Minnesota’s wild-card game against the Saints in New Orleans, it was impossible to know which version of Cousins would show up. Fortunately for the Vikings, it was the version who made this amazing 43-yard throw to receiver Adam Thielen over cornerback Patrick Robinson in overtime, with the game tied at 20.

That set up Cousins’ four-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kyle Rudolph three plays later.

The Vikings now travel to San Francisco for the divisional round, and it’s fair to say we still don’t know which version of Kirk Cousins will show up. But for the moment, the guy who’s never played a winning game on Monday Night Football (his teams are 0-9 when he’s under center) and was 0-2 as a postseason quarterback before Sunday’s game can go into that situation with a little bit of well-earned bravado against all who have doubted him — this analyst included.