Good Kirk, bad Kirk: Vikings' rollercoaster ride with Cousins continues
When Kirk Cousins was given a contract extension with a no-trade clause earlier this year, it put the pressure on general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O'Connell to prove that they can get more out of Cousins than Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman did from 2018 through 2021.
It's only two games under the new regime, but the rollercoaster ride with Cousins is on the same track it's been each of his four previous years under center in Minnesota.
Look at this 2021 game scores by PFF. The gray line represents the NFL average, and Cousins was average or below average in six of 16 games last season. But when he was good, he was really good, grading as a top five QB five times.
Same thing in 2020, 2019 and 2018.
The boom or bust performances by Cousins can be traced pretty closely to pressure. Last season, Cousins was graded by PFF as the No. 1 clean-pocket passer and produced a 116.7 quarterback rating (second best). And he ranked sixth in big-time throw percentage with a clean pocket.
But he ranked 17th in PFF grade when under pressure, and his big-time throw percentage dropped all the way to 26th when he felt some heat.
Give Cousins a clean pocket and he'll shred a defense. Put pressure on Cousins and things can go bad in a hurry, just as they did Monday night when Cousins finished four consecutive possessions with an interception or fumble.
This year, Cousins is 9-for-19 passing when blitzed and 12-for-26 when under pressure, per PFF. When he's kept clean he's completing 73.1% of his attempts.
Against the Eagles, Cousins was 5-of-13 with a touchdown and two interceptions when pressured, compared to 22-of-33 with an interception when kept clean. That interception, however, has been blamed on Justin Jefferson letting Darius Slay slide in front of him on his route.
The Eagles blitzed on the two interceptions that were clearly Cousins's fault.
So far, Cousins is the same as he's always been. It's up to him to change the narrative and make Adofo-Mensah and O'Connell look smart.
Related: 5 things that stood out in the Vikings' loss to the Eagles
Related: What cost the Vikings in Philly: execution or scheme?
Title: Bring Me The Sports co-owner, editor Email: joe@bringmethenews.com Twitter: @JoeBMTN Education: Southwest Minnesota State University Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Expertise: All things Minnesota sports Nelson has covered Minnesota sports for two decades, starting his media career in sports radio. He worked at small market Minnesota stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before joining one of the nation's highest-rated sports stations, KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. There, he was the producer of the top-rated mid-morning sports show with Minnesota Vikings announcer Paul Allen. His radio experience helped blossom a career as a sports writer, joining Minneapolis-based Bring Me The News in 2011. Nelson and Adam Uren became co-owners of Bring Me The News in 2018 and have since more than tripled the site's traffic and launched Bring Me The Sports in cooperation with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation umbrella. Nelson has covered the Super Bowl and numerous training camps, NFL combines, the MLB All-Star Game and Minnesota playoff games, in addition to the day-to-day happenings on and off the field of play. Nelson also has extensive knowledge of non-sports subjects, including news and weather. He works closely with Bring Me The News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard to produce a bevy of weather and climate information for Minnesota readers. Nelson helped launch and manage the Bring Me The News Radio Network, which provided more than 50 radio stations around Minnesota with daily news, sports and weather reports from 2011-17.