Dalvin Cook: When You Give Kirk Cousins a Clean Pocket, He's The Best in the Game

Dalvin Cook has had a front-row seat to Kirk Cousins' MVP-level start to the 2021 season, and he's been blown away by what he's seen.

Cook was out there with Cousins for the first two games of the year, experiencing the veteran quarterback's poise and leadership in the huddle as he led the Vikings on what could've easily been a pair of game-winning drives. Sitting out Week 3 with an ankle injury, Cook got a different perspective, watching from the sidelines as Cousins played one of the best games of his life in a much-needed victory over the Seahawks.

When asked about Cousins on Wednesday, Cook didn't hold back in his praise.

"It was fun watching him turn it loose," Cook said. "Seeing his attitude coming to the sidelines. On the goal-line one time, we scored and I saw him go to the sideline and he’s like [pounds chest]. And I was like, ‘Yeah, he dialed in.’ I love seeing that from him. Him showing his emotion. When he first got here [in 2018] it was like, ‘I’m figuring it out, I’m going to get this thing done but I’m figuring it out,’ and he’s figuring it out still but you’ve seen him comfortable."

"From a clean pocket, he's the best in the game man. The best. The best. He’s just turning the ball loose and being him, man. But you’re starting to see that leadership side."

Read: Two Plays Away From MVP Conversation, Kirk Cousins Has Vikings Headed in Right Direction

The stats back Cook up. When given a clean pocket, Cousins' 94.1 PFF grade leads all NFL quarterbacks. He's got an adjusted completion percentage (which accounts for drops) of 89.7 in those situations, which narrowly trails Patrick Mahomes' 90.1 for the league lead.

Cousins has always thrived with a clean pocket, although maybe not to this level. The difference this year is that the Vikings' offensive line is giving him a clean pocket at a higher rate than he's used to. Combine that with a confidence, assertive Cousins who has grown as a leader during his fourth year in Minnesota, and it's all coming together.

Cook is obviously biased, but he truly believes Cousins is playing at the highest level of any QB in the NFL right now.

"That’s the statement," he said. "That’s how I feel. That’s how I feel about my quarterback. That’s my quarterback. He’s going to prepare himself the same way each and every day, whether he has a good game or he doesn’t. That’s what I like about him. It’s not different from a win and a loss with him. It’s the same preparation every time. He comes back and takes the criticism and go be him. There’s no up and down about him. That’s No. 8."

"That's my quarterback." - @dalvincook 😎 pic.twitter.com/U9PtVq6JMH
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 29, 2021

It's going to take more than three games to sway the public perception of Cousins and the narratives surrounding his career. But if he keeps playing like this and the Vikings start stacking some wins together, more and more people will start understanding where Cook is coming from with his lofty praise.

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