MINNEAPOLIS — For one day, at least, Kirk Cousins was worth every penny.
Enticed to Minnesota in the offseason with a three-year, $84 million contract that’s fully guaranteed, Cousins not only won his Vikings debut Sunday, he did it in entertaining and confident fashion. He spread the ball around, showing off Minnesota’s depth and versatility. He threaded passes that only his receivers could grab. He threw for two touchdowns and no interceptions.
He even slid, head first, in a bid to preserve Minnesota’s 24-16 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
“The biggest thing is he’s a winner,” receiver Adam Thielen said. “He wants to win, and he’s going to do whatever it takes to win a football game.”
That’s not to say the games mattered any less to Case Keenum. Or Teddy Bridgewater. Or Sam Bradford. Or Christian Ponder. Or Matt Cassel. Should I keep going? But since Brett Favre hung it up, no one has really known what to make of Minnesota’s offense.
MORE NFL:
- Browns settle for tie with Steelers after blocked FG in OT
- Did absent Bell troll Steelers for tie vs. Browns?
- Cook, Vikings D spoil Garoppolo's perfect record
Oh, Adrian Peterson was an MVP-caliber running back — when he was in the lineup. When he was sidelined by injuries and his disciplinary issues, however, the perception was that it would be up to the defense to shoulder the bulk of the burden. The offense, and the quarterback in particular, just had to not screw it up, and a revolving door created by injuries often made that easier said than done.
The stakes were raised two years ago, however, when the Vikings opened their new palace of a stadium. And then again last year, when Minnesota reached the NFC title game. It was clear the Vikings had the resources and the weapons to make a run, and they needed to take advantage of it.
Enter Cousins.
Despite not having much support and playing for an organization that is … flawed, to put it nicely, Cousins established himself as one of the NFC’s best quarterbacks with the Washington Redskins. He might not be in the same class as Aaron Rodgers or Drew Brees, but his arm strength, vision and savvy are exactly what GMs look for when they’re building teams.
Pair him with the likes of Thielen, Stefon Diggs, Kyle Rudolph and a healthy Dalvin Cook, give them an entire offseason to work together, and contending for a spot in the Super Bowl could become the expectation rather than a pleasant surprise.
“The last two years, by Week 2, we’re playing with a quarterback we hadn’t had any reps with the entire offseason,” Rudolph said. “It’s good to be out there with a guy we’ve been working with since the middle of April and we’ve kind of been able to build a rapport with, and I think you see that in a lot of the throws that guys were catching today.”
Source: Read Full Article