Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins
It’s not often Kirk Cousins gets mentioned with borderline Hall of Fame quarterbacks. But the Vikings’ pilot could enter into rare air Sunday.
Cousins, who inked an $85 million dollar contract in Minnesota, sits just 342 yards away from passing Randall Cunningham on the Vikings’ all-time passing list. In only his second year with the Vikings, he already ranks 12th in team history with 5,339 yards. Cunningham’s 5,680 yards takes the 11th spot right now.
Maybe the numbers speak to the Vikings lack of great quarterback play over the years. Obviously, Fran Tarkenton tops their franchise list and holds all the records. After him, it’s pretty slim pickings. Tommy Kramer, Daunte Culpepper and Wade Wilson round out the top five quarterbacks, along with Tarkenton.
Cousins has been rather pedestrian in recent weeks in Minnesota, honestly for the bulk of his career. He’s been more of a fantasy quarterback than a serious Super Bowl contender. He knows it. Everyone else knows it, too.
Kirk Cousins said “I won’t be playing quarterback here much longer if I play the way I did Sunday”
Zach Brown Calls Out Kirk Cousins in Major Way
Zach Brown had something to say and he wanted everyone to hear it. Especially Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins.
The Eagles linebacker served as Cousins’ teammate for one year (2017) in Washington before the signal-caller cashed in on a bank-breaking contract with Minnesota. He’s been off to a shaky start this season, even drawing doubt from his own wide receivers. Brown, who inked a one-year deal with the Eagles in the offseason, was quick to pile on the hate.
On Friday, he gave a scathing review of Cousins’ quarterbacking skills. It wasn’t complimentary, at all. He called Cousins the “weakest part of their offense.”
“Cousins, I think every defense is going to want that guy to throw the ball,” Brown said after Friday’s practice, via ESPN. “For me, that’s probably the weakest part of their offense is him. Everything else is good.
“They’ve got a good running game, probably one of the best in the league. They’ve got real good receivers. You just want them to pass the ball. You want Kirk Cousins to get it in his hands.”
At least Adam Thielen got the #Vikings trending 🤣😂 📌#Skol #kirkcousins
Vikings Quarterback Has Been Turnover Machine
The Vikings have been at their best when running the football this year. Dalvin Cook ranks No. 2 in the NFL in rushing with 542 yards and five touchdowns. He’s gaining 5.9 yards per carry and 108.4 yards per game.
But Cousins hasn’t been helping the offense’s case with his mistakes. While he has thrown for 1,041 yards this season, he only has five touchdowns against two interceptions. Even worse, he has a league-high seven fumbles. No player has more fumbles than Cousins since the start of the 2015 season.
“I realized when I was in Washington, he was kind of careless with the ball. But at the same time, hey, you make the bed you sleep in,” Eagles linebacker Zach Brown said. “I was at the Redskins with him so I know about him. That’s my viewpoint on him.”
Kirk Cousins Getting Criticized by Vikings Teammates
Zach Brown wasn’t the only one taking aim at Kirk Cousins. His own wide receivers have been pointing the finger in recent weeks. First, it was Stefon Diggs requesting a trade out of Minnesota and then Adam Theilen took a not-so-subtle shot about the Vikings need to improve their passing game.
Kirk Cousins just BEARly overthrows Adam Thielen
The Vikings quarterback severely overthrew Thielen on a long would-be touchdown a few weeks ago against the Bears. After the game, the receiver tried to bite his tongue and still threw some indirect shade.
“At some point, you’re not going to be able to run the ball for 180 yards, even with the best running back in the NFL,” Thielen told reporters, via Deadspin. “And that’s when you have to be able to throw the ball, you have to be able to make plays, you have to be able to hit the deep balls. You have to do that because otherwise it’s too easy for teams to just tee up and rush the quarterback. We have to be able to run the ball and pass the ball.”
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