On Sunday afternoon, the stars of the Netflix documentary Quarterback will meet at U.S. Bank Stadium. Patrick Mahomes and Kirk Cousins were two of the three quarterbacks featured in last summer’s docuseries and offered a look at how they manage the grind of playing the NFL’s most important position.
Cousins admitted earlier this week that he didn’t get to meet Mahomes during the filming of the project, which he described as “two ships passing in the night.” But Mahomes and Cousins have plenty of similarities and a key difference that separates the two between the lines.
It starts with Cousins, who is the type of guy you would love to have as your next-door neighbor. In a lot of ways, Cousins has become the typical Minnesotan. He shops at Costco. Eddie Bauer, Kohl’s, and J.C. Penney provide his wardrobe. He even pulled up to the Minnesota Twins playoff game and decided to sit in the crowd, enjoying the game like a regular fan.
It’s one of the aspects that makes Cousins likable. It’s also why half the fan base is reluctant to move on to a relative unknown after this season. But the difference between Cousins and the average person is that he plays quarterback in the NFL and his job requires more than the ordinary Joe.
To some extent, Cousins has what it takes to play in the NFL at a high level. Physically, he can make every throw. He’s also mentally tough, willing himself to play through a painful rib injury and the bruises of a regular season.
Cousins also wants to maximize his abilities. The Athletic’s Alec Lewis noted that Cousins once failed a math test in high school and that he wanted to rip the test in half because he didn’t prepare enough the night before. Instead, he framed the test and hung it in his office to remind him of the importance of preparation.
That seems insane to someone who has never played quarterback, but it’s something the greats have. Tom Brady demanded perfection from his teammates on a weekly basis, and Mahomes took a powerful Chiefs roster to another level and won two Super Bowls.
Cousins’ preparation and desire to be great are why he’s a lock to throw for 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns annually, and he has solidified himself in the upper-third of NFL quarterbacks. However, the ultimate goal isn’t to break into the league’s top 10.
It’s to lead his team to a Super Bowl.
That’s where Cousins’s “average Joe” persona becomes a negative. An example came in last Sunday’s win over the Carolina Panthers. He ran his scripted drive to perfection but threw a pick-six that put the Panthers on the board.
The Vikings went to win the game, but Cousins was fixated on the pick. When talking to reporters, Cousins seemed more concerned about his performance than the result on the field and seemed obsessed with trying to get more out of himself.
“It’s huge to get a win any way we can get it,” Cousins said at the beginning of the presser. “[But] it’s very, very frustrating to throw that interception. Poor read and then when you’re late to the flat and then the ball is left inside when you’re late. Then it compounds and where it’s placed on the field, he takes it back for a touchdown. It was a very disappointing play by me.”
In some ways, Cousins channeled his inner Jerry Burns without the 35 F-bombs he tossed out about Bob Schnelker after a win. It’s also comparable with the common person who often thinks about things he could have or should have done better throughout their lifetime.
But Cousins also showed what makes him different compared to some of the other greats in the league.
Believe it or not, Mahomes also tends to make his share of mistakes on the field. The difference between him and Cousins is that Mahomes never dwells on his mistakes and flips the switch to focus on the next play.
For example, in a Week 4 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Mahomes overthrew Jerick McKinnon in the flat. NFL mics caught Mahomes berating himself for missing the throw, but he composed himself and made a highlight-reel flip to Clyde Edwards-Helaire for the go-ahead touchdown a few plays later.
It’s that focus on the next play that not only is required for quarterbacks but everyone on the roster. Kevin O’Connell pointed that out while discussing his plan to stop Mahomes this week.
“You could do [a call] exactly how you coach it…and they’re still going to make some plays against us,” O’Connell said during Wednesday’s press conference. “That’s where it’s the next-snap mentality. How many times can we just have all 11 guys doing their job in the call and try to win some of those all the way to the whistle? Because that’s what you got to do.”
Defensive coordinator Brian Flores said the same thing. He noted that even if they create a perfect game plan, Mahomes will force them to live in the present.
“Those plays are going to happen,” Flores said. “When you’re playing a great player, an MVP-caliber player, that player is probably going to make some plays. That’s just kind of how it goes, you understand that. Often times…you’ve got to tip your cap and that’s alright. We just [have] got to move on to the next play. That’s really what it’s about.”
Moving on has become Cousins’ biggest weakness. After running a play in the final seconds of a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, he admitted how the play had eaten him up as he prepared for last week’s game against Carolina.
If Cousins is going to reach the next level at age 36, he needs to get over this hurdle. It’s human to dwell on your mistakes, and it’s another way that Cousins shows that he’s one of he’s one of us. But NFL quarterbacks are supposed to be modern-day superheroes and this flaw makes Cousins Clark Kent without a cape.
