3 popular misconceptions about Kirk Cousins in 2021

Cousins takes care of the ball

Turnovers are such a tricky conversation to have with any quarterback. Interception numbers can be skewed by dropped interceptions or deflections by receivers that lead to turnovers. Taking care of the ball is not even a good indicator of being a good quarterback when you are a player like Kirk Cousins.

He takes care of the ball because he does not take any risks. He ranks near the bottom of the league in turnover-worthy throws but is also near the bottom in big-time throw rate. That is exactly why fans have gotten tired of Kirk. He does not trust his arm, and apparently, the coaching staff doesn’t either.

Taking away the throws, Cousins has also been very lucky in terms of his fumbles. Cousins is fifth in the NFL with 11 fumbles on the season. That is the most fumbles Cousins has had since coming to Minnesota and the second-most of his entire career.

Fortunately, Kirk has only lost two of his 11 fumbles on the season. To put it in perspective, the other quarterbacks near the top of the fumbles list have lost significantly more.

Dak Prescott has lost six of his 14 fumbles, Derek Carr and Justin Fields have lost five of 12, and Ben Roethlisberger has lost five of 10. Cousins may not have a ton of turnovers, but his conservative play since the bye week has kept him from being a star.

He needs to make more big plays in order to be worthy of his contract. Otherwise, the Vikings would be better off going with a cheaper quarterback that can do some of the same things while spending money elsewhere.