3 most disappointing Vikings in Week 9 loss to the Ravens

Kirk Cousins – QB

Kirk Cousins wasn’t the reason the Vikings lost this game, but he simply didn’t step up and will his team to victory either.

Cousins started the game off great. He showed some grit and confidence when he went deep to Justin Jefferson on 3rd down during Minnesota’s first offensive drive of the game and hit him in stride for six points.

Later, Cousins drove the Vikings down to the goal line and eventually took it in himself as he dove over the pile and crowd surfed for another six points. It was in the second half when he began to disappoint.

Cousins is a well-paid veteran quarterback who has been in the NFL long enough to see just about everything. When he gets a play call from a first-year offensive coordinator, he has to have a solid idea if it is a good call or a bad one.

Instead of just blindly following his coordinator’s calls, it’s time for Cousins to start defying him, and calling plays he knows will work.

The Vikings have tried the Klint Kubiak way this season and it just hasn’t worked. Getting up by a score or two early, then dinking-and-dunking, and running draw-plays doesn’t win ball games.

Cousins knows that and he could’ve been insubordinate and called some audibles on Sunday. The fact he didn’t and he just went with the plays that were called, especially in overtime, was disappointing.

Cousins should’ve taken matters into his own hands and thrown the ball down the field after Anthony Barr’s interception in overtime. Instead, he blindly followed the orders of his play-caller and Minnesota earned their second-straight defeat.