QB Kirk Cousins - Minnesota Vikings
| 6-3, 214 | Born: 8-19-1988 | College: Michigan State | Drafted: Round 4, pick 2012 |
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News you need to know
From the upgrade/downgrade report (Mon Oct 21): The wide receiver complaints worked! The Vikings have become a more balanced offense and continued to attack downfield even after Adam Thielen went out. Cousins has 10 passing touchdowns over the last three weeks and should be in lineups Thursday night against Washington even if Adam Thielen can't go.
Week 8: vs Washington Redskins
Detailed matchup analysis coming soon.
Recent Stats and Projections
| WEEK | OPP | oSNAP | CMP | ATT | YD | TD | INT | RSH | YD | TD | FumL | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | at CHI | 62 | 27 | 36 | 233 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9.65 | |
| 5 | at NYG | 71 | 22 | 27 | 306 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 22.6 | |
| 6 | vs PHI | 71 | 22 | 29 | 333 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31.65 | |
| 7 | at DET | 73 | 24 | 34 | 337 | 4 | 0 | 4 | -3 | 0 | 0 | 32.55 | |
| 8 | vs WAS | PROJ-Dodds | * | 19 | 28 | * | * | * | 3 | * | * | * | * |
| 8 | vs WAS | PROJ-Tremblay | * | 18 | 28 | * | * | * | 3 | * | * | * | * |
Weekly Performance vs QB 1, QB 12, QB 24
Percentile ranks
Kirk Cousins's percentile rank in each category, among QB with more than 50 fantasy points.
Recent Game Summaries
2019 Week 7 vs DET (24 / 34 / 337 / 4 / 0 pass, 4 / -3 / 0 rush)
After a very disappointing start to the season, Cousins put together his 3rd straight 300 yard passing game and a second straight game with 4 touchdowns. There are a lot of things going right for the Vikings offense right now and one of the biggest changes has been the protection of Cousins. The offensive line did not allow a single sack this week and Cousins did not turn the ball over. He was intercepted in the end zone, but a defensive pass interference call overturned the turn over and the Vikings later punched it in for the score. Cousins first touchdown went to Adam Thielen on a beautifully thrown 25-yard pass. Cousins saw the zone coverage after calling Thielen into motion and rolled left long enough for Thielen to come free in the back of the end zone. The second touchdown was a 1-yard score to Bisi Johnson where Cousins saw the man coverage by calling him into motion and knew the linebacker could not get across the formation in time to stop the 1-yard pass in the flat. It was an easy pitch and catch for the score. His third touchdown was a 5-yard pass in the flat to C.J Ham. The coverage rolled to the inside when the outside receiver ran a slant and Ham was able to slip underneath into the flat and outrun his linebacker in coverage for the score. The final touchdown was the first of the season to Kyle Rudolph and went for 15 yards. Rudolph lined up in a bunch formation and made it look like he was blocking before he spun off his man and settled into the void in the zone coverage. Cousins made the easy throw and Rudolph did the rest of the work to get in the end zone. Cousins seems to have finally turned the corner on his season and will take on his former team at home on Thursday night.
2019 Week 6 vs PHI (22 / 29 / 333 / 4 / 1 pass, 2 / 0 / 0 rush)
Cousins has looked like a completely different quarterback the last 2 weeks than what we saw at the beginning of the season. He is moving around in the pocket and making throws down the field to his elite receivers. Cousins accounted for 4 touchdowns this week and over 300 yards of passing. He was sacked once for a loss of 8 yards and threw an interception just before half time. The ball was intended for Diggs down the sideline and was just an unlucky bounce of the ball after Diggs was hit from behind. The Viking defense intercepted the Eagles on the next drive and then both teams went into half time. Cousins opened the scoring with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Thielen in the back corner of the end zone. He put enough air on the ball and allowed Thielen to run under it and get both feet in without being touched by his defender. The second touchdown went for 62 yards down the middle of the field to Diggs. It was a perfectly thrown ball to his receiver in stride after he had burned his man and the safety did not come over to help. He followed that up with his third touchdown and another 51 yards to Diggs down the sideline. The entire defense bit on the play fake and Cousins was able to roll to his left and hit Diggs in stride again for the touchdown. The fourth and final score came on a ball to Diggs in the back of the end zone. His receiver started his route to the outside and then cut back to the middle when Cousins was flushed from the pocket. He let go a pass that was a little high, but Diggs was able to come down with it and get both feet in the back of the end zone. Despite the single turnover, this was the best game of the season for Cousins so far and the Viking offense looked very balanced. Cousins will have to play like this against much better teams if the Vikings want to get back into the Super Bowl conversation.
2019 Week 5 vs NYG (22 / 27 / 306 / 2 / 0 pass, 3 / 3 / 0 rush)
We finally got a glimpse of the Kirk Cousins to Adam Thielen connection from the beginning of last season. It came against a very poor Giants secondary, but at least we know it can still happen. Cousins had easily his best game of the season with more than 300 yards passing, 2 touchdowns, and no interceptions. The biggest issue this week was the inability to score touchdowns and settling for 4 field goals and a safety. The first touchdown for Cousins went for 15 yards to Thielen and capped off a drive that started at their own 2-yard line. Thielen made a move at the line and had just half a yard of separation from his man when Cousins delivered the back-shoulder fade. Thielen turned around just in time to make the catch as he was falling to the ground. The second touchdown came after a 41-yard run by Dalvin Cook and came on a 9-yard play-action pass in the back of the end zone for Thielen. Cousins left the ball a little high to get over the linebacker in the middle of the field, but Thielen was able to come down with it for the score. Cousins accounted for 5 plays over 20 yards and had the longest play of the game on a 44-yard pass to Thielen. The protection still needs to get better with Cousins being sacked 3 times for a loss of 27 yards, but it was a much better performance overall.
2019 Week 4 vs CHI (27 / 36 / 233 / 0 / 0 pass, 0 / 0 / 0 rush)
It is tough when everyone in the building knows you are the problem and everything you are trying just is not working. Cousins may not have thrown an interception this week, but he did put the ball on the ground twice and was sacked 6 times. Several drives were killed when he held the ball too long or simply missed wide open receivers. Teams are starting to stack the box against Cook because they know Cousins is not going to beat them through the air. Cousins had a single nice play this week when he completed a 39-yard pass to Stefon Diggs. HE may have completed 75% of his passes this week, but he was off the mark when it really mattered. The connection with Adam Thielen is all but gone this season as Cousins just cannot find him down the field. Thielen had multiple steps on his defender in the first half and Cousins threw the ball 5 yards over his head on what should have been an easy touchdown. He is throwing the ball behind him on crossing routes and having the ball sail on comebacks. Cousins has the benefit of a massive guaranteed contract right now, but the Vikings will have to seriously consider moving on if he does not start to play better.
2019 Week 3 vs OAK (15 / 21 / 174 / 1 / 0 pass, 4 / 16 / 0 rush)
It was a good game for Cousins in regard to not turning the football over, but it is week 3 and he has looked like nothing more than a game manager. Cousins benefitted from a rushing attack that had more than 200 yards on the ground and 3 touchdowns. He made a few nice throws but was largely not needed this week. His lone touchdown pass was a 35-yard strike to Thielen on a ball that any coach at any level would tell you not to throw. Cousins went play action and rolled to his left, he abruptly stopped, threw back across his body and the field to Thielen, and was rewarded with a touchdown after the receiver out ran his defender and into the end zone. This is not a safe throw and not one you would like to see a struggling quarterback make very often. Cousins did show good chemistry with rookie tight end Irv Smith and that may be something they can build on for the rest of the season. Cousins seems to be the most out of tune with Stefon Diggs so far this season but that could change very quickly with the right matchup. Cousins did not turn the ball over this week and did not give up a single sack. Next week against the Bears defense will be the true test to see if he has turned the corner for the Vikings.
2019 Week 2 vs GB (14 / 32 / 230 / 1 / 2 pass, 2 / 17 / 0 rush)
Everyone thought last week was just an outlier and that Cousins could merely manage a game when Dalvin Cook takes over. This week the Vikings dug themselves a 21-0 hole and Cousins did everything possible to not climb out of it. His lone job saving play was a perfectly thrown 45-yard pass to Diggs for a touchdown. The ball landed just over his outside shoulder in stride for the touchdown. Diggs proceeded to take off his helmet and was called for an unsportsmanlike penalty that pushed the extra point back and Dan Bailey proceeded to miss the kick. Cousins also had a 3-yard touchdown to Diggs nullified by an offensive pass interference call on Dalvin Cook that he proceeded to turn into a field goal. There were a few other big plays, including a 61-yard catch and run by Chad Beebe and a 30-yard catch by Thielen. There were also the 2 interceptions thrown. The first he tried to force a ball across the middle to Diggs in a crowd of Packers defenders and the ball was tipped and intercepted. The second was the worst play of the game where Cousins fled a collapsing pocket, back pedaled away from the goal line, and threw up a lame duck that was an easy interception in the corner of the end zone. Rather than throw the ball away and have another red zone try, he forced the ball towards the end zone and came away with no points. The Vikings paid Cousins a lot of money and are unlikely to move off of him after 2 bad games, but if this trend continues this season the Vikings may want to think about drafting the quarterback of the future in Minnesota.
2019 Week 1 vs ATL (8 / 10 / 98 / 1 / 0 pass, 6 / 4 / 1 rush)
It was a very rocky first year for Cousins and all eyes were on him in week 1 to see if he would rebound and earn all of the money Minnesota gave him. To everyones surprise, Cousins only had to throw the ball 10 times this week and let the running game take over. Cousins found Thielen on the first drive of the game after a blocked punt for a 23-yard touchdown. Thielen worked his way across the middle of the field and Cousins threw him open with a great ball on the deep crossing route. Thielen did the rest of the work and broke 2 tackles for the touchdown. Cousins also helped his own cause on the ground with a rushing touchdown on a quarterback sneak up the middle. Cousins served as more of a game manager this week and it worked out for the Vikings. It will be a much different game next week against a revitalized Packer defense that held the Bears to 3 points in week 1. Cousins will be asked to do a little more next week and again all eyes in Minnesota will be on him to see if he is worth the money they paid.
Latest News
Vikings | Kirk Cousins stays hot (Sun Oct 20, 08:59 PM) - Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins completed 24 of his 34 passes for 337 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-30 win over the Detroit Lions in Week 7, his second straight game with four touchdown passes. link to story Vikings | Kirk Cousins throws for four TDs (Sun Oct 13, 05:59 PM) - Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins went 22-for-29 for 333 yards, four touchdowns and one interception against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 6. Our View: Cousins was highly efficient against an Eagles secondary that is easy to pick on. He'll face a tougher Lions set of cornerbacks next week. The Vikings got a huge win for future playoff hunt considerations.link to story
Minnesota Vikings Team Links
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Schedule
| 8 | vs Washington Redskins |
| 9 | @ Kansas City Chiefs |
| 10 | @ Dallas Cowboys |
| 11 | vs Denver Broncos |
| 12 | --- BYE WEEK --- |
| 13 | @ Seattle Seahawks |
| 14 | vs Detroit Lions |
| 15 | @ Los Angeles Chargers |
| 16 | vs Green Bay Packers |
| 17 | vs Chicago Bears |
