Kirk Cousins Remains Self-Critical Despite Shining in Primetime Win Over Patriots
Kirk Cousins could throw for 500 yards and five touchdowns and he'd probably still be hard on himself afterwards. It's just how he's always been.
Even after shredding the Patriots for 299 yards and three touchdowns while completing 81 percent of his passes in a Thanksgiving night victory, Cousins was focused on some of the things he could've done better, including an interception and a couple other balls he didn't locate as well as he would've liked.
"If you look at the pass to K.J. (Osborn) in the flat that I left a little short, threw too quickly, I tried to put touch on it," Cousins said. "I just need to stick my back foot in the ground and rifle that thing to him. Way too close for comfort. The third down with Justin (Jefferson) in the first quarter, it all runs together. The one I left inside, could have been intercepted. This is the way I am, man. I'm kind of hard on myself. I go back there and think of all the plays I need to be better.
"I probably drive myself crazy, my family crazy being this way. It's just the way I'm wired. I'm an improver. I'm kind of obsessed with improvement. Even when things are good, my mind goes to how can they be better? You kind of torture yourself that way."
Cousins did have a few poor throws, most notably the pick that he sailed past Osborn into the arms of Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones. But for the most part, he was brilliant on Thursday night at U.S. Bank Stadium. Facing the NFL's top pass defense according to DVOA and EPA per play, he received good protection from his offensive line and torched New England all night. Cousins completed seven passes that traveled at least ten yards past the line of scrimmage, including a perfectly-placed game-winning touchdown pass to Adam Thielen and two bombs of at least 36 yards to Justin Jefferson, who had another dominant game.
The throw to Thielen was a play the Vikings called numerous times throughout the night. But when they got to the line of scrimmage and didn't get the defensive look from the Patriots that they wanted, Cousins checked out of the play. Finally, Kevin O'Connell called it one more time and it worked.
"You got the look," O'Connell told Cousins in the headset.
"I should have gotten to him faster," Cousins said. "I was trying to make sure they truly went with Justin, and they did, so Adam got through there."
Even if he could've thrown the ball earlier, Cousins maneuvered effectively in the pocket and delivered a perfect throw to Thielen in the back corner of the end zone. It was one of a bunch of great throws he made in the game, marking his first outing with at least three passing touchdowns this season — the 36th time he's done that in his career.
"Kirk Cousins was phenomenal tonight getting us in and out of the plays he did, standing back there and making some big-time throws," Kevin O'Connell said. "I think he had a very, very good week of preparation on a short week. His ownership, I know we've talked a lot about that, you don't play like he did tonight without really starting to develop some ownership of our offense. ... There's really so many plays you can kind of go back to and call on, third-down plays, play-action shots, great decisions to check the ball down. Didn't allow the rush, when it did get there, to really affect him."
In playing as well as he did against an elite, Bill Belichick-coached defense, Cousins pushed back against the prevalent narrative that he doesn't perform in primetime games. To be fair, Cousins helped fuel that narrative when he threw three picks in a Monday night loss to the Eagles earlier this season, and this win moves him to just 11-18 as a starter in night games in his career (though wins aren't solely a QB stat).
But realistically, there's isn't much to it. Cousins is fully capable of playing well and winning games at any time of day, especially if the circumstances around him are good. He made smart checks at the line of scrimmage against the Patriots and was decisive, aggressive, and accurate in a big bounce-back performance from the Vikings.
Still, despite the Vikings moving to 9-2 this season — the second-best record in the NFL, as of Thursday — Cousins doesn't feel like he's played up to his usual standard this season.
"It's funny because we're winning, so I feel like talking to you guys has been a lot easier this year, but I'm not playing any better," he said at his postgame press conference. "If anything, I'm coming to these press conferences trying to smile, having to work to smile, because I'm thinking to myself, 'Man, I've got to play better.' I appreciate winning because it does make this a little easier. But, yeah, there's a lot in the game where you're always saying, 'I gotta be better.'
"Kickoff returns help. Big-time pass rush helps. Pinning them back field position-wise helps. There's a lot of things that I'm not really involved in that are helping us win. I believe, I'm optimistic, that the longer I'm in this system, we're in this system, it's only going to get cleaner, it's only going to get better. As I said in August, we don't have time. Thankfully, we've been finding a way to win in spite of it being year one in this system. There have been moments where you feel like, 'Man, we, I, gotta be better here on offense for us to go where we want to go.' I think that's where you still feel like you're developing."
Cousins has a point. While adjusting to a brand-new offense, his numbers through ten games weren't where they usually are. His completion percentage, passer rating, touchdown to interception ratio, and so many other statistics were the worst they've been since he became a full-time starter with Washington back in 2015. The Vikings, in some ways, have won in spite of Cousins' play, not because of it.
With that said, they've also won because of him in a lot of ways. Cousins had his sixth game-winning drive of the season in just his 11th game on Thursday, a personal record for him. Time and time again, he's stepped up and made big throws when the Vikings have needed it most. His aggressiveness downfield — and Jefferson's unbelievable talent — has Minnesota's No. 1 receiver on pace for over 1,900 yards this year.
"You saw his numbers tonight," said tight end T.J. Hockenson, who scored his first touchdown as a Viking. "Great quarterback. One of those guys that’s going to stay in the fight. In the huddle, he gives you a peace of mind that we’re going to move this thing, we’re going to be alright. It’s great to have him."
It had to be encouraging for Cousins and O'Connell to see the veteran quarterback play this well against a top-tier pass defense in a big game at this point in the season. As he continues growing more and more comfortable in this offense with each passing week, perhaps his statistics will continue creeping up towards their usual levels.
Numbers aside, it's clear that Cousins is enjoying this season more than any other one he's had in the NFL. He's loose at his postgame pressers after wins. He's having fun being around his teammates. He's thriving in this new culture that O'Connell helped build.
"Kevin has empowered me so much; this team has empowered me so much," Cousins said. "The guys have just been tremendous. I can't say enough about the way that they have had my back after these interceptions, support me all week long, support me pregame in the locker room. Adam came over to me, before we kicked off, in the locker room and pulled me aside and shared an encouraging word. At times it almost brings me to tears the way these guys support me and have my back. It really adds to the fun of playing and working together."
Four days after an ugly blowout loss against the Cowboys, Cousins put together perhaps his most impressive game of the season against the Patriots.
Just don't try to tell him there's nothing to improve upon. He's not hearing any of that.
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