Vikings

Defensive Issues Aside, Cousins & Vikings Offense Found New Life

Photo Credit: Kirby Lee (USA Today Sports)

Through three games in his first season with the Vikings, Kirk Cousins had seemingly found a way to both satiate his supporters and incense his detractors.

The supporters were able to point to a strong start against San Francisco and a furious finish against Green Bay, while his detractors cited his weak finish against the 49ers and all-around dud of a performance against the Buffalo Bills.

Cousins was lacking a start-to-finish gem, and he delivered just that Thursday against the Rams, keeping the Vikings afloat while their defense allowed well over 500 yards. Though his scintillating game lost some luster with a late strip sack as the Vikings were moving toward a game-tying score, what came before it shouldn’t be forgotten.

The Vikings surpassed over 420 yards passing for the second time in three weeks, and this time didn’t need overtime to do it. Cousins finished with 422 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions — his 10th career game with three or more touchdowns and no picks. He also led Minnesota in rushing with 28 yards.

“There was a huge sense of urgency, and I think we played that way,” Cousins said after the game.

For the third week in a row, the Vikings played from behind most of the game and were forced to abandon the run. Cousins has 153 pass attempts over the last three weeks, the most he’s thrown in a three-week span in his career. But the Vikings have been extremely productive in two of those games despite being one-dimensional.

“The offense scored 31 points or something last night,” head coach Mike Zimmer said in defense of the offense’s imbalance. “We are trying to do what we have to do to win.”

There didn’t seem to be a fatigue factor, though, even on the short week. Cousins started the game by leading consecutive scoring drives of 13 and 12 plays, respectively, and the Vikings only had one three-and-out all evening. Minnesota’s quarterback marched the Vikings down the field in the face of pressure most of the night. According to Pro Football Focus, Cousins was under duress for 26 dropbacks yet completed 15 of 21 passes for 163 yards a touchdown.

His first touchdown pass to recently-acquired Aldrick Robinson came with Ndamukong Suh bearing down on him, and his second to Robinson occurred on a rollout as Cousins backpedaled with Samson Ebukam and Cory Littleton closing in.

“Great player, gives us a nice dynamic,” Cousins said of Robinson, his former Washington teammate. “Two touchdowns, he’s a pro. Been in the league a long time. It’s great to have him here. He’s a great teammate.”

Robinson made the most of just nine snaps in the game, but the real standouts were, as usual, Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs, who both totaled over 100 yards for the second time this season. Thielen finished with eight grabs, 135 yards, one touchdown and three third-down conversions — he’s the first player since Randy Moss in 2007 to start the season with four 100-yard games. Diggs was just as impressive with 11 catches and 123 yards.

After one of the Diggs’ catches, Thielen came back to the huddle and told Cousins, “‘The other dog came out, you better start getting him the ball,'” the quarterback recounted after the game.

“Stef and Adam are rockstars,” Cousins added.

Yet even with the huge performances from one of the NFL’s top duos, Cousins still found a way to spread the ball around, completing passes to nine players and targeting 10. Laquon Treadwell was targeted a career-high seven times with four catches and 47 yards, including a late third-down conversion that preceded the game-ending strip sack. Kyle Rudolph stayed involved with five catches, 57 yards, and fullback C.J. Ham continued to be a part of the passing game with two catches of his own.

“We try to spread it around and be very multiple and let those guys make plays for us,” said Cousins.

Minnesota was 8 of 16 on third down Thursday night, one week after going 5 of 14 against Buffalo. The Vikings are seventh in the league at 44.3 percent in third-down offense.

Cousins has sandwiched his Buffalo performance with two vintage showings — both on the road, no less. While his 296 yards against the Bills might be considered cheap, since most were amassed in garbage time, there was nothing cheap about what he did Thursday from start to finish while facing pressure, not only from the formidable Rams defensive front, but also from the game’s high stakes.

“Production can tell some of the story, it doesn’t tell all of the story,” Cousins said. “You’ve got to go back and look at the film.”

The film should be kind to Cousins this week.

While the defensive woes persist, the offense erased its forgettable Week 3 with its best effort yet in Week 4.


Become a Zone Coverage Member Today!

Vikings
The Vikings Are Getting Caught In the NFL Draft Silly Season Vortex
By Tom Schreier - Mar 29, 2024
Vikings
Finalizing the Roster: New Signings, Contracts, and Draft Day Rumors
By Matt Johnson - Mar 28, 2024
Vikings

Did the Vikings Ultimately Come Out Ahead In Free Agency?

Photo Credit: Kirby Lee (USA Today Sports)

The Minnesota Vikings may have had the most active and impactful free agency session in the NFL, even though they didn’t sign as many new players as […]

Continue Reading