Can Cousins step up in a (semi-)meaningful game?
Through the first three weeks of the season, the Minnesota Vikings offense has run through Dalvin Cook. With a running back that currently leads the NFL in rushing with 375 yards, that’s a great strategy to have. With the Bears ranked fourth in rushing defense (286 yards), the gameplan to ground and pound Chicago into submission might not be feasible on Sunday.
That means we’ll have another chance for Kirk Cousins to step up in a semi-meaningful game. The last two times he has had this opportunity, it has not ended well throwing for a meager 132 yards against the Bears in last year’s Week 17 meeting and having a terrible game against the Green Bay Packers in Week 2.
In the two games that the Vikings have won, they have not needed to rely on the arm of Cousins, which has made his job easier and put Minnesota in the win column. At some point, however, teams will start to adapt to the ground-oriented approach and Cousins will have to step up.
This will not be easy with the Bears’ pass rush bearing down on him (no pun intended), but if this is the game that Cousins steps up, it will go a long way in instilling confidence in this team and getting fans off his back.