Top 10 Minnesota Vikings of 2022: Where does Justin Jefferson rank?

No. 5: Kirk Cousins – QB

In March, Kirk Cousins found himself extended as the Vikings’ quarterback through 2023. Minnesota fans are split seemingly down the middle on how they feel about that extension.

Whether elated or embarrassed about him sticking around, no one can argue that Cousins has been playing poorly in purple. In fact, he is coming off a career-high PFF grade in 2021.

While the Vikings still found themselves on the outside looking in when it came to the postseason last year, Cousins improved in several different facets.

Cousins’ Big Time Throw (BTT) percentage, Turnover Worthy Play (TWP) percentage, adjusted completion percentage, and Pressure to Sack (P2S) percentage all ranked among the top 10 in quarterbacks last year (all courtesy of PFF). His BTT rate, TWP rate, and P2S rate all improved from the year prior.

Cousins often finds himself being critiqued for being “Check-down Kirk” and dumping the ball off to his check-down read instead of pushing the ball downfield. While there certainly have been passes to C.J. Ham short of the sticks on third down, his average depth of target (aDOT) was seventh-highest among quarterbacks last year. This was the first time he ranked in the top 10 in this category since 2016.

Having a higher aDOT and such low a P2S rate, which simply measures how often a quarterback is sacked versus how often he is pressured, is also impressive. It becomes even more astounding when you consider the bottom-10 pass-blocking offensive line he was playing behind.

The debate over whether Cousins has that “it” factor is certainly real. However, he has still been one of the better players in Minnesota recently, and the Vikings need him to be even better if they want to return to the postseason.