There were 59 quarterbacks who were given an NFL start in the 2020 season. Some teams — like the Jaguars and Bears — had to rely on multiple starters. The Vikings were not one of those teams.
Kirk Cousins made all 16 starts for Minnesota in the 2020 season. NFL.com recently ranked every quarterback who was given a starting nod last year. Cousins came in at 15th. Here’s what the outlet said:
“The annual questioning of Cousins’ bonafides became increasingly exhausting in his first Vikings season without Stefon Diggs, thanks in large part to a truly wretched Week 2 showing (42% completion rate, 113 yards, 0 TDs, 3 INTs, 15.9 passer rating) that helped set the tone for Minnesota’s 1-5 start. Neither that nor his redemptive second half — from Week 9 to Week 17, only Deshaun Watson threw for more yards than Cousins (2,728 to 2,630), and only Aaron Rodgers threw more TD passes (23 to 20) — changed his status in my mind as a better-than-average quarterback who should maybe not be judged too harshly for being unable to transcend the circumstances around him.”
Surprisingly enough, Patrick Mahomes ranked third in NFL.com’s rankings. The outlet said they only ranked quarterbacks based on the 2020 regular season and playoffs, but still. Aaron Rodgers was No. 1 and Tom Brady was No. 2. Don’t get me wrong, Rodgers and Brady have a better body of work than Mahomes, but I think Mahomes had a better 2020 season than Brady, statistically speaking.
Besides Rodgers, NFC North quarterbacks ranked behind Cousins. Jared Goff, the QB the Lions agreed to trade for this offseason, ranked 22nd. It’s not a given that the Bears start Mitchell Trubisky or Nick Foles next season and that makes sense. Trubisky ranked No. 31 on this list, while Foles came in at No. 40.