It's Kirk Cousins' World: Postgame Chains, You Like That, and a Win Over His Old Team
Things are going pretty well for Kirk Cousins these days.
The Vikings' veteran quarterback, who has been a somewhat polarizing player for much of his career, is living his best life in 2022. He returned to Washington D.C. as a visiting player for the first time on Sunday, battled through some major adversity, and led a ten-point fourth-quarter comeback against his old team. The 20-17 victory was the sixth in a row for the Vikings, all of them by eight points or fewer. With Cousins leading the way, the Vikings are 7-1 and continue to find ways to win games, week in and week out.
Head coach Kevin O'Connell gave out several game balls in the visiting locker room after the game. He saved the last one for Cousins.
"If you want to talk about being at your best when it's required, the reason why we're 7-1, the reason why our football team is at its best when it's required, is our quarterback," O'Connell said in his postgame speech to the team. "This guy came back to a familiar place for him, got knocked out for a play, comes back in and leads us to a victory."
On the field, Cousins did what he's done for the majority of this season: make plays in big moments. This was a particularly impressive performance, given the circumstances. Cousins took a ton of hits throughout the game from the Commanders' outstanding defensive line, even missing one play after a particularly big hit (he just got the wind knocked out of him). Despite the constant pressure, he stepped up with a number of incredible throws, including a deep ball to Justin Jefferson on the play where he got crushed.
One drive later, following an interception, Cousins threw a perfectly-placed ball to Dalvin Cook for the game-tying touchdown. After another stop by the Vikings' defense, he helped move the ball into field-goal range for Greg Joseph's game-winner.
"For your quarterback to stand in there and be at his best when we really need him to be, I don’t think that is a coincidence when you talk about us being able to win in the fourth quarter," O'Connell said after the game.
Off the field, this is a different version of Kirk Cousins. He has been one of the primary beneficiaries of the culture change brought about by O'Connell and the rest of the Vikings' new regime. The vibes of this team are off the charts, and Cousins is at the forefront of that. His teammates are embracing his personality and leadership, and he's embracing them back.
After receiving the game ball from O'Connell in the locker room, Cousins broke the team down.
"Today was another example of how we've been winning all year, man," he said to his teammates. "This team is uncommon, and we play as a team. We win as a team. No individuals. I love this team, man, let's keep doing it in all three phases."
Then he said the line he's become famous for, ever since he first uttered it in the very same stadium back in 2015: You like that?
"You like that on three," Cousins said, his teammates huddled around him. "1-2-3, you like that!"
The team went wild.
"I can tell you that his teammates were very, very excited when he received the final game ball in the locker room and broke us down," O'Connell said. "You can just feel what this guy means to his teammates, this organization. And as a first-year coach, to have him as our quarterback, I feel very confident and feel lucky to have Kirk as our guy."
The celebration continued onto the team's flight back to Minnesota. During this six-game winning streak, Cousins has begun wearing some of his teammates' chains on the postgame flights following road wins. It started after the Vikings' Week 4 win in London, when Kris Boyd put Christian Darrisaw's spinner chain on Cousins on the long flight back to the United States.
“I had never actually put a chain on, so that was my first experience of what that feels like," Cousins said at the time. "Honestly, it was very empowering. It felt pretty good to have that chain on."
Unsurprisingly, it ramped up after the Vikings' Week 6 win in Miami. That time, Cousins — who has been nicknamed "Big Kirko" by Darrisaw — was recorded wearing not one, not two, but several of his teammates' chains.
It's become enough of a thing that O'Connell closed his postgame speech by saying "Get him his chains!" before tossing a game ball Cousins' way.
Once again, Cousins was recorded on the postgame flight with a bunch of expensive chains around his neck. This time, he was shirtless and dancing, too.
Again, Cousins is living his best life right now. He's still the same person he's always been — a slightly dorky dad from Michigan. But this winning streak, his teammates, and the Vikings' overall culture have brought out a new side of Cousins in 2022. He's letting loose and having more fun than he's ever had.
Cousins' statistics in the Vikings' win over the Commanders were solid, but nothing incredible. In fact, his numbers all season haven't been the best of his career. But more than ever before, he's stepping up and making the plays his team needs when they need them most. Cousins is making big throws, putting his teammates in position to make plays, and accomplishing something he's been criticized for not doing at a high-enough level in the past: winning football games.
"It feels great to win in this league," Cousins said. "I had so many warm memories coming (back to Washington), and so on the way out to be able to remember those as well with a win is so much better than after a loss. ... It’s special to be back and to win."
As for going back to the 'You like that' celebration?
"I guess those three words will follow me for the rest of my career," Cousins said. "And maybe my life."
Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis all offseason long. Also, follow me on Twitter and feel free to ask me any questions on there.
