Instagram Kirk Cousins and Kyle Cousins
While the San Francisco 49ers might be 7 point favorites over the Vikings in the NFC Divisional match-up on Saturday, Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins’ has a good luck charm up his sleeve, or should we say, sitting in the stands.
Cousins’ wife Julie, two kids and parents will be attending the playoff game at Levi’s Stadium, but it’s when Cousins’ brother Kyle, and his blessed band of friends show up that should make the opposing team nervous.
Kyle Cousins, along with longtime best friends, Ross Verwys and Eric Huizenga, have dubbed themselves “Crushing the Capital.” As reported by Vikings.com, “The CTC” got their name after the three friends decided to head to FedEx Field while Cousins was playing back-up for the Redskins. With less than two minutes left in the game, Washington trailing 8, Robert Griffin III was suddenly forced to exit the game with an injury, and their boy started warming up.
With 36 seconds left in the game, Kyle, Ross, and Eric watched in disbelief as Cousins threw a TD pass to Pierre Garcon, and then scored the 2-point conversion himself to win the game. Even after Cousins started playing quarterback for Minnesota, the guys still refer to themselves as “The CTC.”
For 8 years, every single home game they’ve attended, Cousins has won the game. Proving the power of “The CTC,” the boys were in attendance when the Vikings beat the Browns 31-20 in 2016; the win over the Cardinals in 2018. While the Vikings, a 6th seed, didn’t earn home-field advantage for the game on January 11, there’s a positive history when the Cousins’ crew last attended a Vikings/49ers matchup.
“The CDC” was at the stadium cheering Minnesota on when they defeated San Francisco 26-24 in 2017, during which Kirk scored the 10th rushing touchdown of his career. “Every year, something seems to happen,” Kyle said. And Cousins can’t help but agree.
“The games where I’ve played, we’ve won, so we joke that there’s something there,” the 31-year-old NFL star said. “For whatever reason, their visits have sparked some big wins.”
Kyle Cousins Says His Brother ‘Plays Best When He’s Dialed In’
Kyle, who recently married wife Heather in February, in which Cousins was his best man, always his brothers back.
“I think people give Kirk a hard time. You’ve heard that narrative – he needs to have more fun,” Kyle said to Vikings.com. “But playing quarterback in the NFL is an intense job. And I think Kirk plays best when he’s dialed in mentally and has a bit of an edge to him. I don’t fault Kirk for being serious.
“That being said, we’ve always enjoyed adding an element of fun when we visit,” Kyle added. “Kirk’s not necessarily going to be the goofy one, that’s not how he’s wired, but if you notice, a lot of his close friends are guys like us who can bring the fun.”
The Vikings go into Saturday’s playoff game riding high after defeating the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Wild Card Game last Sunday. Cousins played a near-perfect game, throwing for 242 yards and the game-winning touchdown to Kyle Rudolph in overtime.
But it wasn’t just Cousins who showed up to play last week. Dalvin Cook ran 94 yards on 28 carries with two scores, and Minnesota’s defense shut down the high-powered Saints offense, especially in the passing game. The Vikings defense is ranked third in the NFL with 30 takeaways this season.
READ NEXT: Ken Jennings’ Net Worth: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know