It’s been nearly a month and a half since Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins penned a two-year extension of $66 million, making the total agreement worth $96 million over three years with $61 million guaranteed. The extension gave the organization $10 million in cap space to use on top free agent Anthony Harris. While the Vikings benefited from the extension financially, some fans view it as one of the worst decisions of 2020. There are also narratives that Cousins rarely wins against good teams, but it’s clear that Cousins is not to blame for the Vikings losses.
Vikings Smart To Sign Kirk Cousins Extension
In the 2019 season, Kirk Cousins had the fourth-highest passer rating (107.4) with a completion rate of 69.1 percent and an average yards per attempt of 8.1. Cousins also led the NFL in passer rating in play-action last year at 129.2 with 14 touchdowns, 2 picks, and completed 71.8 percent of his throws.
Pro Football Reference shows that over the last four years, Cousins had 95 completions over 30 yards, which is ahead of Russell Wilson, Matt Ryan, Philip Rivers, and Tom Brady who were among the top five.
Cousins is not only accurate but he’s one of the best deep passing quarterbacks in the NFL, he just doesn’t do it often. His numbers are phenomenal despite bad protection. Imagine how much more efficient he could have been behind an offensive line with the same caliber as the Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans and Dallas Cowboys.
Why Vikings Don’t Win
The starting front five in the 2019 season included left tackle Riley Reiff, left guard Pat Elflein, center Garrett Bradbury, right guard Josh Kline, and right tackle Brian O’Neill. The problem begins from the left side where Elflein and Reiff both struggled.
A prime example of bad protection was during Week 13 against the Seattle Seahawks. After the snap, Kirk Cousins pulled back to the 45-yard line but immediately was forced to sling the ball because Seattle’s defensive tackle Jarran Reed dominantly charged Riley Reiff into Cousins. The Vikings took a 37-30 loss that game.
Another example, was during Week 10 against the Dallas Cowboys. Elflein allowed Cowboys defensive tackle Antoine Woods to storm right through him and go after Delvin Cook. Cook was dashing with the ball on 2nd and 6. Although Cook was able to dart away from Woods, it was still one more obstacle for the running back to have to slither out of. Cook eventually was tackled completing the down.
The left tackle and left guard is currently the biggest issue on the Vikings offensive line considering it’s Kirk Cousins’ blindside. Elflein was at times exploited for his weaknesses in pass protection. Reiff has also been on a decline allowing six sacks, five quarterback hits, and 21 hurries with nine penalties.
Too many times last season, Vikings center Garrett Bradbury couldn’t fend off the man lining over him. It was apparent in Minnesota’s game with the Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers and the divisional round playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
The day after the loss to the 49ers, Bradbury was quoted saying, “We knew going into the game that it was going to be won up front. They outrushed us, protected the quarterback better. I briefly watched the film, and there’s a lot of things we could have done better. It’s a tough taste to leave in your mouth at the end of a season because there were some awesome moments, but that’s the way it is.”
It’s a common trend among the offensive line to permit pressure on all sides of Kirk Cousins. This does not give the quarterback time to make a play and it sure doesn’t give receivers time to complete their routes to get open.
If Not Kirk Cousins Then Who?
The Vikings could have drafted a quarterback with their 22nd pick and hope the player develops into the future of the franchise, but Kirk Cousins is finally getting into the rhythm and Gary Kubiak is already engineering a team around the veteran.
The Vikings could have turned to free agency, but let’s face it, there’s no one in free agency that’s up to Kirk’s level.
Kirk Cousins is impressive statistically, but if the Vikings could run more play-action, move the ball and improve the o-line to buy extra time for Cousins, then 2020 could look better for Minnesotans.
