The Minnesota Vikings have experienced an up-and-down season already through three weeks of the 2021 NFL regular season, but a big victory over the Seattle Seahawks might have started the process of correcting a rough start in the first two games of the new year.
Following a 30-17 win over Seattle in Week 3 in the first home game of the season at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota improved to 1-2 and are right back into the thick of things in the NFC North going into the fourth week of the year.
There have been a few different positives to take away and counter the negatives that have occurred for the Vikings to this point in the year, but there is no positive brighter than the play of their veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins through three games. His play has been outstanding despite the losses and lifted the team to their lone victory. In other words, it is time to recognize the stellar start for the Vikings quarterback.
Kirk Cousin’s Stellar Start is Worth Recognizing
Cousins so Far This Season
This season, Kirk Cousins is in his fourth year as the starting quarterback in Minnesota and is enjoying his 10th season in the NFL after jumping into the league in 2012. And although it’s early, Cousins is on pace to put together a career year for the Vikings.
In three games, Cousins has completed 88 of a total 119 pass attempts (73.9% completion percentage) along with 918 passing yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions. While averaging 306 passing yards per game, 7.7 yards gained per pass attempt, and 10.4 yards per completion, the 33-year-old also holds a career-best quarterback rating of 78.2.
“I think he’s playing outstanding. But not only that, he’s playing with a lot of confidence,” Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said after the Week 3 win, according to the team website. “I really appreciate the leadership that he’s been doing lately. It’s been so much better, something he wanted to work on. He’s done a great job with that. He’s very confident where he’s throwing the football. He’s very confident with these receivers. I think the offensive line has helped him do some of those things as well.”
Kirk Cousins in his last 10 games and where it ranks in the NFL.
3,036 YDS » 2nd
26 TDs » 3rd
2 INT » T-3rd
70.51 CMP% » 3rd pic.twitter.com/0adO0LcqRe— Vikings Communications (@VikingsPR) September 27, 2021
Kirk Cousins Behind the Big Week 3 Win
Kirk Cousins led the Vikings to their first victory of the season in a big-time win over the Seahawks in Minneapolis. In the game, he completed 30 of 38 pass attempts for 323 yards and three touchdowns. More importantly, he still has not thrown an interception in 2021. Performing at a high level out of the gate, his Week 3 performance was the best to date.
“Kirk’s playing his (butt) off, the offense played their (butt) off,” Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen said, according to the team website. “I haven’t seen Kirk play like this in a long time. He’s playing great football right now. You’ve got to recognize that, and we’ve just got to keep it going.”
Kirk Cousins now at 17 consecutive games with a 90+ QB rating, the second longest streak in NFL history (Peyton Manning, 23) pic.twitter.com/fFs1EGd55i
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 26, 2021
Kirk Cousins has been criticized ever since he signed a lucrative contract as a free agent to join Minnesota. The reasoning being he has not lived up to nor stepped up enough to have earned that contract. But Cousins has been playing some of the best football of any quarterback in the NFL through three weeks. The Vikings need to turn things around after falling into an early-season hole. And it is time the league realizes Cousins is the key to doing so.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
