The Minnesota Vikings are 1-2.
Judging by that record, one could assume that Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins has been ineffective.
That thought could not be further from the truth especially when his Week 3 performance against the Seattle Seahawks is evaluated.
Cousins completed 30 out of 38 passes for 323 yards.
He topped it off with three touchdown passes.
323 passing yards and three touchdowns.@KirkCousins8 was DEALING in the @Vikings win! #Skol pic.twitter.com/GJDWTX4BpP
— NFL (@NFL) September 28, 2021
Cousins’ 323 yards were a big chunk of the offensive yards gained against the Seahawks.
There were 453 yards in total.
It was Mike Zimmer’s 115th regular season game as the Vikings head coach, and he called it the best offensive performance of all of them.
“I told the team that it’s the best offensive performance that I’ve seen in the eight years that I’ve been here.”
He also heaped praise upon Cousins when he said:
“I think he’s playing outstanding. But not only that, he’s playing with a lot of confidence. He’s also … I really appreciate the leadership that he’s been doing lately. It’s been so much better, something he wanted to work on. He’s done a great job with that. He’s very confident where he’s throwing the football. He’s very confident with these receivers. I think the offensive line has helped him do some of those things as well.”
Cousins In 2021
Cousins has been nothing short of outstanding in 2021.
In addition to his three-touchdown performance in Week 3, he threw a combined five touchdowns in Weeks 1 and 2, so he has eight touchdown passes on the season.
Even more important than that is he has not thrown a single interception.
His completion rate is 74 percent, and he has already thrown for more than 900 yards.
Cousins has quietly picked up right where he left off in 2020.
Kirk Cousins now at 17 consecutive games with a 90+ QB rating, the second longest streak in NFL history (Peyton Manning, 23) pic.twitter.com/fFs1EGd55i
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 26, 2021
Vikings’ Struggles
The offense has struggled at times.
The running game was sputtering before Dalvin Cook was injured during the Week 2 game.
There have been penalties and sacks.
In general, it has been some sloppy play that cost the Vikings wins.
They lost in Week 1 to the Cincinnati Bengals by three points and in Week 2 to the Arizona Cardinals by one point.
Four points is what separates them from being a 3-0 team.
The Vikings are the first team in NFL history to score 85+ points in the first 3 games of a season while committing just one turnover or less — and have a losing record to show for it.
— Dustin Baker (@DustBaker) September 29, 2021
Coach Zimmer’s Critique of Cousins In Week 1
Zimmer’s praise of Cousins after the Week 3 win is a sharp contrast to what he had to say about his quarterback after the Week 1 loss to the Bengals.
He blamed Cousins for holding the ball too long which caused penalties.
Three false start penalties and a holding call on the opening drive; welcome to Minnesota Vikings football 🤦♂️
— Jeff O'Brien (@jeffobrien) September 12, 2021
Mike Zimmer puts the blame on Kirk Cousins holding onto the football for too long… 😳 pic.twitter.com/QXi3jCLjYO
— SKOR North (@SKORNorth) September 12, 2021
Week 4 Challenge For Vikings
The Vikings do not want to fall to 1-3.
They have a big Week 4 matchup with the Cleveland Browns.
The Vikings’ former offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski comes back to Minnesota as the second-year coach of the Browns.
Vikings fans said this is a show-me game; the Vikings need to show the city and its fans what it’s made of by defeating a good Browns team.
If the Minnesota Vikings are the team we want them to be, they HAVE to beat Cleveland…period…an early season defining game
— Jaxon Jackson (@JaxonJackson5) September 28, 2021
Watch the Browns take on the Vikings in Week 4 at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, October 3.
NEXT: Vikings Fans Continue To Be Tortured With Another Brutal Loss
