{"id":103460,"date":"2021-02-02T06:59:42","date_gmt":"2021-02-02T11:59:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=103460"},"modified":"2021-02-02T10:08:01","modified_gmt":"2021-02-02T15:08:01","slug":"kirk-cousins-best-quarterback-option-minnesota-vikings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2021\/02\/02\/kirk-cousins-best-quarterback-option-minnesota-vikings\/","title":{"rendered":"Kirk Cousins the Best Quarterback Option For Minnesota Vikings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Quarterback Kirk Cousins<\/a><\/strong> isn\u2019t exactly the most popular man in Minnesota. Signed to a massive contract in 2018, most expected the former Washington Redskin<\/a> to be the missing piece on a roster that was otherwise ready to compete for a Super Bowl. However, Minnesota missed the postseason in two of Cousins\u2019 three years with the Vikings, and never made it past the divisional round.<\/p>\n

With quarterbacks on the move all across the league, some expect San Francisco 49ers<\/a> head coach Kyle Shanahan<\/strong> to make a push for Cousins. The team reportedly wanted Matthew Stafford<\/a><\/strong>, but apparently views Cousins as an upgrade on Jimmy Garoppolo<\/a><\/strong>. While some fans may welcome a change, the fact of the matter is that Kirk Cousins is the best quarterback option the Minnesota Vikings are likely to find.<\/p>\n

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Minnesota Vikings Should Keep Kirk Cousins At Quarterback<\/h2>\n

Kirk Cousins Is A Good Quarterback<\/h3>\n

From a physical standpoint, Kirk Cousins isn\u2019t capable of terrifying a defense in the same way as somebody like Josh Allen<\/a><\/strong>. He\u2019s not the biggest, fastest, or strongest athlete in the world, meaning that his style of quarterbacking isn\u2019t quite as exciting as some other players around the league.<\/p>\n

However, Cousins has been able to make the most of his physical toolset and become one of the NFL\u2019s more effective passers. Again, nobody is saying he\u2019s as good as Patrick Mahomes<\/a><\/strong>, but he\u2019s easily good enough to bring the right team to Super Bowl contention. Since 2018, Cousins is 7th<\/sup> in PFF grade, 14th<\/sup> in EPA+CPOE composite, and 18th<\/sup> in EPA\/play. He\u2019s only getting better with time, as Cousins finished 2020 ranked 8th<\/sup> in EPA+CPOE and 10th<\/sup> in EPA\/play.<\/p>\n

Kirk Cousins has a reputation for not being a big-game quarterback, but that reputation is a little unearned. While he did struggle with that earlier in his career, the sample is so small that you really can\u2019t draw any meaningful conclusions from the data.<\/p>\n

Nobody denies that the human element of added pressure exists, but the players that are actively affected by this phenomenon have already been rooted out before making it to the NFL. Put simply, if you don\u2019t have the mental fortitude to handle a big game, then you probably also don\u2019t have the mental fortitude to perform well in front of scouts knowing that your entire NFL career is on the line.<\/p>\n

In recent years, Cousins actually has played well when the lights shone the brightest. He orchestrated an overtime victory over the New Orleans Saints<\/a> in the 2019 postseason and had one of the highest fourth quarter PFF grades in the league last year.<\/p>\n

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Highest-graded QBs in the 4th quarter this season:
1. Tom Brady – 89.5
2. Kirk Cousins – 87.0
3. Patrick Mahomes – 86.4
4. Baker Mayfield – 86.0 pic.twitter.com\/fxOXuaorfH<\/a><\/p>\n

— PFF (@PFF) February 2, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n