5 best back-to-back seasons by a Vikings quarterback
By Tim Arcand
Which Minnesota Vikings quarterbacks have had the best back-to-back seasons in team history?
After two exceptional seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, it is hard to believe there may still be some fans still out there hating on quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Signed to a two-year extension in March, the 31-year old Cousins has put up some of the best passing stats since Brett Favre’s career-best season in 2009.
In 2018, his first year with the Vikings, Cousins threw for 4,298 yards and 30 touchdowns. Those numbers rank second and seventh-best in franchise history for single-season accomplishments. In 2019, these stats dipped a bit, but his overall performance improved with a 107.4 passer rating—the second-highest single-season passer rating in franchise history.
In two years, Cousins has been so good that he ranks seventh in completions, passing yards, and touchdowns in team history. With at least three more seasons to play in Minnesota, Cousins should easily move up the list of the best quarterbacks ever to play for the franchise.
To put in perspective just how good Cousins has been for the Vikings, we ranked his performance against the best consecutive seasons in team history. This ranking emphasizes wins, passing yards, touchdowns, and passer rating over a two-year period.
For some of Minnesota’s long-time quarterbacks, a single-season counted in two rankings. For example, Fran Tarkenton’s performance over 1974 and 1975 was one entry into the ranking as well as 1975 and 1976. The goal is to compare Cousins’ performance so far against the best to ever play for the Vikings.
Let’s check out the top five.