Kirk Cousins didn’t touch the field during the Minnesota Vikings’ 33-6 loss against the Denver Broncos in Week 1 of the NFL preseason, but is he playing in their second preseason game? Cousins heads into his 10th NFL season, so it’s understandable if the veteran sits out the preseason. After all, we know what we’re getting with Cousins.
Is Kirk Cousins playing tonight?
It appears Cousins and the other Minnesota starters will play against the Colts, but for how long is an unknown. Head coach Mike Zimmer didn’t expound on the topic. He simply said the team needed to see some success, so the top guys would play.
This could be good for Cousins and the offense. No receiver outside of Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen garnered over 30 targets. With Kyle Rudolph now in New York, somebody must step up into a bigger role or the passing attack could risk becoming predictable.
The Vikings’ improved defense has them hoping for a playoff run
Last season, looking at Minnesota’s depth chart, particularly at the defensive line, could force even the most bubbly personality into a dark, cold depression. They fought hard to fix that heading into 2021, and they got some reinforcements with Danielle Hunter returning from injury.
The addition of Michael Pierce and Dalvin Tomlinson doesn’t just help the defense, either. Cousins and the offense will benefit from better complementary football. That duo, along with elite linebacker Eric Kendricks, should be able to defend the run well. That would give the Vikings the upper hand on the ground in almost every contest. If Cousins plays similarly to his first three seasons in Minnesota, this team should have a shot at the playoffs in 2021.
Can Cousins secure another lucrative contract?
Since 2015, Cousins has been one of the most consistently average quarterbacks in the NFL, with no real shot at ascending any higher than that. That’s no knock on him, either. Nobody expected the fourth-round pick to ever become what he has.
His year-to-year QBR totals have risen since becoming a Viking, and each season he’s ranged between the 13th and 18th-best in the NFL using that metric. With just 2022 left on Cousins’ rather rich contract, he looks to have a career year as he searches for another extension.
Dalton Miller is the Lead NFL Analyst for Pro Football Network. To yell at him for his other work on the site, you can find his writing here and his voice and face on Pro Football Network Daily. Follow him on Twitch and Twitter @daltonbmiller.
