It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t do a little bit better and win a few more games, so he could showcase himself even more.” I think at the end of the year, he’s had some big-time games, made some big-time throws, he’s taken much better care of the football. “He probably started out a little slow at the beginning of the season. “I think he improved a lot,” Zimmer said. He finished the season matching his career high of 13 interceptions. ![]() After throwing 10 interceptions during a 1-5 start, Cousins had just three in his final 10 games. He completed 28 of 40 passes for a season-high 405 yards with three touchdown passes and no interceptions. Zimmer did praise Cousins, who on Sunday had one of his best games of 2020. “We fought like crazy, and 7-9 is not great, but under the circumstances and everything that went on, maybe it’s the best we could have done.” “With the turnover we had (entering the season), the injuries we had on defense, we just weren’t good enough,” Zimmer said. The Vikings had a defense that Zimmer has called the “worst” in his career, and they were shaky on special teams. Nevertheless, it’s hard to put much blame on Cousins. And Minnesota will miss the postseason for the second time in his three seasons with the team. But now Cousins is 51-51-2 over his nine-year career, exactly. 500 quarterback in my career,” although 2019 did result in the first playoff win of his career. “Ultimately, you want to win games, and that’s where my focus is and will be going forward.”īefore last season, Cousins lamented that he’s “pretty much a. “It’s nice to have positive statistics, but ultimately that’s not what it’s really about,” Cousins said after a 37-35 victory at Detroit in Sunday’s season finale. He’ll take into account that the Vikings went just 7-9, their first losing season since they went 7-9 in Mike Zimmer’s first season as head coach in 2014. None of those things will be the primary statistic Cousins looks at during the offseason, though. He threw for 4,265 yards and a career-high 35 touchdowns, and had the second-best passer rating of his career. He has to perform when the money is on the table, and that’s been his biggest problem in the NFL.Statistically, Kirk Cousins had one of the best seasons of all time for a Vikings quarterback. It doesn’t matter how much the coach likes him. Winning is the bottom line in the NFL for top quarterbacks, and Cousins has failed in that area for 10 years.Įven with a new coaching regime, it’s difficult to see Cousins making anything more than a nominal improvement. ![]() ![]() So, how could Zimmer not be frustrated with Cousins? He was in his fourth season with Cousins under center and after spending a lifetime in football, he knew exactly what he was dealing with.Ĭan O’Connell give Cousins a better working environment and treat him with more ’Atta boys than Zimmer? Certainly.īut at one point or another, Cousins is going to have to come up with something else besides impressive stats and eye-opening performances every so often. Cousins was mediocre in both of those game. Surprising wins over the Los Angeles Chargers and Packers followed, but instead of making good on their opportunity to relaunch, the Vikings lost the next two games to the Niners and the Detroit Lions (winless at the time). A loss to the Baltimore Ravens followed, and the Vikings were once again trying to play catch-up. The Vikings dropped a 20-16 decision and all of their momentum dissipated. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images) Getty Images to the San Francisco 49ers following the 2019 regular season. Kirk Cousins has regularly struggled in the biggest games, such as in this divisional playoff loss. The Vikings had momentum against an underdog opponent, but Cousins could only throw for 188 yards with one touchdown and an 88.3 passer rating. Going into the Week 8 game at home against the Dallas Cowboys, the Vikings had won two games in a row and three of four to reach the. Those numbers and the ones that have followed in Minnesota indicate a quarterback who should be helping his team advance deep into the playoffs. That’s why Washington was willing to part company with him after the 2017 season, even though he completed 347 of 540 passes for 4,093 yards with a flashy 27-5 TD-interception ratio. ![]() Cousins used to flash his talent as quarterback of the Washington franchise, but he lacked an edge in key games for that team. Those who have followed Cousins throughout his NFL career prior to his arrival in Minnesota can attest to the same thing. When it became time for Cousins to step up and take charge of a game against the Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers or any other team with strong playoff aspirations, he simply did not come through with any consistency.Įvery Viking fan who has observed Cousins throughout his four-year tenure with the team knows that the quarterback has struggled badly when the Vikings have faced a majority of their biggest games.
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