Getty Kirk Cousins and Mike Zimmer share differing opinions on how the offense has been run.
There is a power struggle ongoing within the Minnesota Vikings organization.
Kirk Cousins has expressed a desire for more of a say in the offense, meanwhile, the playcalling remains stagnant and uninspiring when the game is on the line.
That power divide became blatant after a Week 8 loss to the Dallas Cowboys where Cousins and coach Mike Zimmer let the first-half clock run out with a timeout left in the team’s pocket and within striking distance field-goal range.
Neither side took absolute blame for the blunder.
Cousins revealed that he defers to the coaching staff on calling timeouts in his postgame press conference. Zimmer backpedaled, saying Cousins “has the ability. I won’t get into it but that was a miscommunication,” per The Athletic‘s Chad Graff.
The latest Vikings news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Vikings newsletter here!
A Miscommunication?
Four years into the Zimmer-Cousins era, and there was a miscommunication of whether the offensive signal-caller could call timeout? It just doesn’t sound right.
Cousins realistically is a systems quarterback. He has been given all the talent around him to thrive.
However, the playcalling hasn’t complemented the unit’s strengths, which leaves reasons to believe Cousins on not having an equal seat at the offensive decision-makers table.
Die-hard Vikings fan? Follow the Heavy on Vikings Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content from Skol Nation!
Zimmer Admits Cousins Has Offered His Input
Zimmer agreed with a reporter back in September that quarterback Cousins would like more autonomy in the offense, saying, “I think he does, yeah. I think he’s got opinions on a lot of things.”
Those opinions have fallen on deaf ears.
The Vikings’ playcalling has not improved or played to Cousins’ strengths as a play-action passer as one of the league’s most accurate deep-ball throwers.
Cousins wasn’t a checkdown quarterback in 2020, but he sure is in 2021.
He averaged an eighth-best 8.0 yards per target a year ago. But in 2021, his depth per target has plummeted to 6.7 yards per throw, ranking 31st of 32 quarterbacks ahead of only Detriot Lions quarterback Jared Goff.
The offense has shown a similar regression. In 2020, the Vikings averaged 6.2 yards per play as the fifth-most effective offense in the league. This year, the Vikings are averaging 5.8 yards per play, which ranks 13th.
Vikings Have Not Learned From Past Failures
Nearly a month after Zimmer’s admission that Cousins has voiced his opinions on the best direction of the offense, offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak said he would like to relinquish more control of the offense to Cousins.
“I think we’ve evolved it a little bit just because he can handle so much,” Kubiak said in a Thursday, October 14 press conference. “He can handle a lot. He can probably handle even more than we’re giving him. He’s been so dialed in and can’t say enough about his leadership this year.”
The following Sunday, the Vikings offense tied a season-high 34 points in an overtime win over one of the league’s best defenses in the Carolina Panthers. The offense was balanced and dominated time of possession. Cousins completed 33 of 48 pass attempts for 373 yards and three touchdowns, while Dalvin Cook scampered for 140 yards and a touchdown on 29 totes.
The road win at Carolina seemed to be the remedy the Vikings offense needed after a two-game slump where they averaged 18 points per game.
But poor situational playcalling butted its head back into the earphones of Cousins’ helmet as he threw for a season-low 184 yards against a Cowboys cornerback tandem that were both bottom four in receiving yards allowed this season.
Justin Jefferson should have had a field day. Instead, he caught two passes for 21 yards on four targets — all season lows for the sophomore star receiver.
Cousins threw a 4.3-yard average depth of target that night and threw only 22.2% of his attempts past the sticks, per Pro Football Focus. He had eight third-down throws after the Vikings’ opening drive and none went for a first down. They all came from third-and-5 or beyond — predictable passing situations.
Cousins bears some blame for the struggles to convert on third down. However, it can also be placed on playcalling putting the team in those situations.
When the offense has scored on all six of its past game-opening drives, the question becomes whether the team is playing to win or playing not to lose.