Minnesota Vikings First Quarter Review: Offensive MVPs

Honorable Mention No. 1

Kirk Cousins, QB

They are a fickle bunch, the NFL press.  After two games against San Francisco and Green Bay, the consensus was that quarterback Kirk Cousins was indeed worth the money he got from Minnesota, but after a three-turnover stinker against the hard-luck Buffalo Bills, he was stealing a paycheck.

A week later, the Vikings’ leader carried his team through four quarters of offensive fireworks in a 38-31 loss to the Rams’  by throwing for 3 TDs and 422 yards. However, his 117.2 rating paled in comparison to Rams’ quarterback Jared Goff’s perfect 158.3, and to some, the verdict on Cousins’ ultimate worth remains pending.

Not here.  After watching former Viking QB Case Keenum play in Denver for four weeks, it’s not hard to see the significant upgrade that Kirk Cousins have given the Minnesota Vikings at his position.  I’m not knocking Case–he’s playing well enough for a 2-2 team, but Cousins’ is making plays that he is not, and most likely could not.

Despite playing behind arguably the NFL’s worst offensive line and saddled with a rushing game ranked 32nd in the league, Cousins’ is on pace to throw for 5548 yards and 40 touchdowns in 2018.

His three-turnover game did indeed cost the Vikings the game against Buffalo, but his play and leadership put them in position to easily win in Green Bay and kept them trading punches against an offensive juggernaut in L.A. on a night when the vaunted Viking defense took a powder.

Write the check and let’s move on to Philly.