On Sunday night in Minneapolis, the Minnesota Vikings (6-4-1) faced an NFC North rival for the second straight week in the NFL’s premier television spot. After looking flat and defeated for much of their week 11 loss to the Chicago Bears, quarterback Kirk Cousins looked to right the ship against the hated Green Bay Packers and keep their playoff hopes alive.
Things went different for the $84 million signal-caller in the Vikings’ bounce-back performance. After throwing two ugly picks against the Bears, Cousins not only protected the football against the Packers, but was 28-of-39 passing for 342 yards and three touchdowns in the Vikings’ 24-17 victory. He spread the ball around to seven different receivers on the night and, for one week, put to rest the narrative that he doesn’t perform well in prime-time games. Let’s take a closer look at Cousins’ best performance to-date in purple.
Kirk Cousins Bounces Back As the Minnesota Vikings Beat Green Bay
Reigniting the Thielen Connection
After starting the season with eight consecutive 100-yard receiving games, Adam Thielen cooled off for two games, failing to amass 100 yards in the next two games while battling through a calf injury. Thielen’s ability to get open and catch contested passes gave Cousins an effective bail-out option the first half of the season. The two games where Thielen was hampered saw Cousins look skittish in the pocket, even forcing passes to Thielen when he wasn’t necessarily open or the best option to throw to.
On Sunday, Thielen looked like he was back to 100 percent. With his explosion back, Thielen turned short gains into first downs and had one catch over two Packer defenders that was a good pass by Cousins but an even better catch. These kinds of plays helped Captain Kirk get more comfortable and opened up for other playmakers. Speaking of….
Rudolph Finally Gets Involved
When former Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo took over as the Vikings offensive coordinator this off-season, the thought was that tight end Kyle Rudolph would remain a pivotal part of the offense. The Eagles won Super Bowl 52 with superb tight end play and Cousins’ history of finding his tight ends in Washington looked like a perfect marriage in Minnesota.
While Rudolph’s season stats look to surpass his 2017 totals for receptions and yards, his previous four games leading into the Packers game only saw him catch nine total passes. He also hadn’t scored a touchdown since a late score in the ugly week 3 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Despite never publicly complaining and viewed as a leader on the team, Rudolph appeared visibly agitated during the slump.
Things changed Sunday as Cousins found Rudolph seven times on seven targets for 63 yards. With Stefon Diggs also garnering attention on the outside with Thielen, Rudolph like usual found the soft spots in the zone to hurt the Packers underneath. He also showed off his soft hands and veteran savvy on a deflected pass that he still caught in stride for a 17-yard gain. If Cousins continues to count on Rudolph for these shorter but safe passes, that will help take pressure off of the struggling offensive line.
Speaking of That Line….
Perhaps nothing stood out more following the disaster against the Bears than the offensive line giving Cousins a good pocket for a majority of the night on Sunday. He only took two sacks. One was a coverage sack and the other was an odd miscommunication by right guard Mike Remmers who released his man on what he thought was a screen play.
When the pocket broke down, Cousins used his legs to extend plays and pick up short but efficient gains. He also manipulated the defense on his touchdown pass to Thielen, forcing the coverage to flow towards the sideline as Cousins threw back across his body to his wide-open star receiver.
The Last Word on Cousins’ Big Night
Cousins played the game that the Vikings expected when they signed him back in March. While explosive, Cousins managed the game well and avoided the bone-headed plays that he sprinkles into some of his otherwise great games. If he can continue to make plays that the defense gives him while also playing close enough to the vest to minimize back-breaking turnovers, the offense will compliment the Vikings No.3-ranked defense. With a tough final five games, though, Minnesota’s franchise quarterback set the team up to control its own destiny to the playoffs.
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