Out-of-division rivalries are a rarity in the NFL.
It’s a tad strange for a rivalry to be so contested between two teams that only play each other every couple years. But ask any Minnesota Vikings or New Orleans Saints fan, and it’s very clear: They do NOT like each other.
Vikings fans have never forgiven “Bountygate” and the dirty play in the 2009 NFC Championship game. We all remember the combination of terrible officiating and malicious intent that led the Saints to almost end Brett Favre’s career. As they knocked him around like a rag doll, refs gagged themselves with their flags and players got headhunting bonuses back in the locker room. New Orleans edged out the best chance Minnesota has had at a Super Bowl in my lifetime.
To be clear, no amount of “Minnesota nice” in the world is gonna get Gregg Williams an invitation to an Edina potluck anytime soon.
On the other hand, Saints fans are still licking their wounds after getting posterized by Stefon Diggs and the Minneapolis Miracle. Not to mention losses at the hands of Kirk Cousins in the 2019 playoff overtime thriller, or their most recent gut-wrenching loss in Hotspur Stadium last season.
Perhaps it’s those losses at the hands of Cousins that are souring the grapes of Saints veteran defensive lineman Cam Jordan, who spoke about his favorite types of quarterbacks to play against at the Von Miller pass-rush summit.
In this game like, everybody knows… A fast, wrong decision could be a right decision. And a fast right decision… You’re a winner. And a slow, right decision… Get your a– on the bench. Cause there’s somebody out here that gon’ be moving at a different speed. Slow right decisions… We love ’em, call ’em ‘Kirk Cousins.’
That’s some pretty confident trash talk there, Cam. Maybe you should save that for guys you’ve actually beaten in the playoffs? Or that you’ve got a winning record against in general? Because, to be clear, you’re 0-2 against Cousins in the playoffs, and you’ve got a 2-3 record against the Cousins-led Vikings overall.
Or maybe he should at least pick someone he’s good at sacking? Because in his five games against the Cousins-led Vikings he’s only racked up 2.5 sacks. I’m no mathematician, but that’s less than a sack per game. Is Cousins you favorite player to sack because it’s such a rare delicacy, like a fine wine or filet mignon?
Now, I get it. Kirk Cousins is kind of a walking meme in and of himself. Whether it’s the outfits bought with Kohl’s cash, the Kirko Chainz celebrations, or Luke Braun’s patented “Kirk Cousins Chaos Meter,” Cousins is a lightning rod for jokes and polarizing talk show fodder wherever he goes.
I’m far from Kirk’s biggest cheerleader. He has flaws to his game. But arguably his biggest flaw isn’t sitting back holding on to the ball too long waiting for the right decision. It’s the opposite! We criticize him for checking it down too quickly, making the exact type of “quick, wrong decision” that Cam seems to be encouraging. It’s that narrative that’s been argued about on Vikings Twitter relentlessly ever since the fourth-and-eight checkdown in the New York Giants playoff game.
But getting the ball out of his hands? He’s fine. According to PFF, he’s 17th in the league in time to throw, squarely middle of the pack. He’s also only middle of the pack as a “Checkdown Charlie,” coming in at 15th.
Perhaps most surprising is his deep passing numbers, which paint him as more of a gunslinger than we give him credit for. He finished third in deep-passing yards and seventh in deep-passing completion percentage in 2022.
Ultimately, the most legitimate gripe with Cousins is that he’s streaky. He can mess you up on a good day and tank the entire offense on a bad day. He’s far from perfect, but certainly better than most give him credit for. Hence, the never-ending debate on whether he could ever get the Vikings to a Super Bowl rages on.
But maybe Cam Jordan is right. He’s on the field, not me. Maybe as a player you can clearly see just how slow and easy to sack Kirk Cousins is, serving himself up on a silver platter on every seven-step drop.
Which is why it must really stick in Jordan’s craw to think back to the multiple dimes in clutch moments Kirk Cousins has thrown against his squad. It must haunt him that he apparently had so much time to close the gap and seal the game, while Kirk ploddingly surveyed the field, desperately searching for a wide open receiver.
And as Cousins stood there, paralyzed, waiting for that “slow, right answer” to come open, Jordan’s nightmare becomes reality as his feet get stuck in quicksand, and he’s held impotently at bay by the Vikings’ offensive line. He watches in slow motion as Cousins finally lets the ball loose, delivering another dagger in the heart of “Who Dat” nation.
I get it, man. I wouldn’t be over it either.
