4 takeaways from the play of Kirk Cousins at the Cardinals in Week 2
By Dean Jones
Cousins was dialed in early
If going up against an impressive-looking defense of the Cardinals daunted Kirk Cousins in some way, he certainly didn’t show it in the early stages. The quarterback got out on the front foot and really imposed himself right out of the gate, giving the Vikings a 14-7 advantage after the first quarter.
Cousins was decisive with his throws and got the big playmakers going at the earliest possible opportunity. A blown early coverage saw the signal-caller deliver a touchdown bomb to K.J. Osborn, followed by a completion to Adam Thielen that found the end zone with 24 seconds of the quarter remaining.
The throw to Osborn, in particular, was superb.
Cousins had to alter his body positioning on the move with a defender coming straight at him, which resulted in delivering a dime to the wideout just a fraction before he was sent crashing to the surface.
It was clear from the opening exchanges that this would turn into a shootout. Perhaps not to this degree, but neither defense appeared capable of stopping two dynamic offenses that are going to put up substantial numbers throughout the season.
Cousins was torching the Cardinals. But the same cannot be said of the defense and their lack of ability in coverage.