5 biggest takeaways from the Vikings loss vs. 49ers in Week 12

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 28: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Minnesota Vikings congratulates Adam Thielen #19 after Thielen's touchdown reception in the second quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on November 28, 2021 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 28: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Minnesota Vikings congratulates Adam Thielen #19 after Thielen's touchdown reception in the second quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on November 28, 2021 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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Minnesota Vikings
Kirk Cousins – Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

Kirk Cousins wasn’t his normal self

This season, Kirk Cousins has been amazing. He has been great at being careful with the football and making good decisions on when to gamble on a deep pass and when to be more conservative as a quarterback.

However, Week 12 was not even close to his best performance. Passes that Cousins could normally complete with ease were off-target, either low, high, or just out of reach of his receiver on the day.

Some of his worst throws came in important places. The most notable was on a two-point conversion attempt where a wide-open Justin Jefferson saw the ball bounce very short of him and the quarterback’s reaction to the throw was the same as the way fans at home were feeling.

Cousins ended the game with a QBR of 32.8 and an ugly interception that was thrown directly to Azeez Al-Shaair on Minnesota’s first possession of the second half. Let’s hope he can shake off this performance and focus on next week.