5 players who could be the MVP of the Vikings in 2019

Kirk Cousins – QB

I never would’ve thought that Kirk Cousins would be in the Vikings MVP discussion after the first four games of the season. He was missing open receivers, feeling pressure that wasn’t there, making poor decisions with the football, and turning the ball over at crucial moments.

What a difference the last four weeks have made for Minnesota’s quarterback. Cousins has been on fire and playing some of the best football of his career.

So far this season, Cousins has thrown for just under 2,000 yards with 13 touchdowns to only three interceptions and that has translated into a 115.2 quarterback rating.

The guy is just dialed in right now. Cousins is dropping dimes and putting the ball only where his receivers can catch it. He’s been making smart decisions with the football, throwing it out of bounds when no one is open, and tucking it and running when he knows he can pick up a yard or two with his legs.

Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski is playing to Cousins’ strengths and that has really helped. He’s been calling a lot of rollouts, screens, and play-action passes and those all suit the quarterback’s skill set.

During the last few weeks, Cousins has been playing with an edge and that seems to have helped his performance. He isn’t the nice guy he usually is and he is beginning to develop a killer instinct. He’s taking more shots down the field and he is showing much more fire on the field, even ready to jump into a fight with his teammates (see the end of the Lions game).

Currently, Cousins is showing why Minnesota paid so much money to bring him to town last year. If he keeps this up, not only will he be the Vikings MVP at the end of the season, but he could be in the running for NFL’s MVP award as well.