5 most clutch Minnesota Vikings players on the 2020 roster

Kirk Cousins – QB

The Vikings field general has been a clutch performer since he became a full-time starter in 2015 despite naysayers speculating differently. For the purposes of this metric, Kirk Cousins gets a more refined criterion to avoid the “garbage time” narrative.

Since 2015, Cousins has passed his way to a 94.8 passer rating in the fourth quarter of games when the score margin is within 10 points.

Among his active peers that have attempted 200 pass attempts in such situations, Minnesota’s current quarterback is the eighth-best in the business. For perspective, his 94.8 passer rating outranks Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, Carson Wentz, Philip Rivers, and Jared Goff to name a few.

Additionally, Cousins has delivered 22 touchdowns in the fourth quarter when the score margin is within 10 points. This is also eighth-best in the NFL since 2015. In the same time frame and situation, Tom Brady has only thrown 18 touchdown passes.

Memorably for the Vikings, Cousins came through in a few 2018 fourth-quarter moments that took place at Green Bay, at the New York Jets, at home against the Miami Dolphins, and at the Detroit Lons. In 2019, he came up big in the clutch at home versus Detroit, at the Kansas City Chiefs, home against the Denver Broncos, and at the  Seattle Seahawks. Not all of these occasions resulted in victory, but they were within the 10-point margin down the stretch.

There was also, obviously, Cousins’ overtime heroism in Minnesota’s road playoff win over the New Orleans Saints last season.