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The Vikings season is only three weeks in and there’s already been a rollercoaster of emotions for their fan base. After two heartbreaking losses the Vikings bounced back at home beating the Seahawks 30-17.
Kirk Cousins was on fire yet again and helped carry the team to a comfortable victory. He completed 30 of his 38 attempts for 323 yards and three touchdowns.
An aspect of Cousins’ playstyle that has drawn criticism from many analysts has been his ability to make plays out of nothing and deal with pressure. This was talked about throughout training camp as an area he’s worked on, and it’s shown over the last few weeks.
This throw is one of the best I’ve seen over the last three years and change with Cousins in Minnesota. The Vikings had a comfortable lead at this point, but this throw was the dagger to essentially wrap the game up.
Great, accurate passes have been a strong suit to Cousins’ game for years, but to do it off his back foot with pressure in his face is something we haven’t seen regularly. He also had an off-script touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson in Arizona where he scrambled out to the left to buy himself some more time.
The improved mobility paired with making plays out of nothing will only help boost his already great stat line this season. Cousins is completing 73.9 percent of his passes for 918 yards, eight touchdowns and zero interceptions.
If Cousins can continue to improve with pressure in his face, there’s no reason to believe he shouldn’t be listed as one of the league’s best at his position. It’s clear he’s playing with a chip on his shoulder in 2021 and he’s become a better all-around quarterback because of it.
It’s still early in the season and the Vikings still have work to do to get the season turned around. However, if Cousins can continue to put up similar stats for the remainder of the year, there’s no reason his name shouldn’t be thrown into the MVP conversation.
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