When Kirk Cousins is talked about, clutch factor and win/loss record are the number one things used to discredit him. His win/loss record for his career is 59-59-2, which on the surface does not look good. Kirk’s career numbers tell a much different story, one that proves he is very underrated . People forget that the QB does not play both sides of the ball. Very few quarterbacks today can will a team to a win regardless of the defensive performance.
https://twitter.com/PFF/status/1334494102675656705?s=20&t=fU0N996UlQ1lxMAo_kg23A
Captain Kirk “Clutch” Cousins
The average NFL fan would laugh at the thought of putting the word clutch in the same sentence as Kirk Cousins. When fans think of “clutch”, names like Brady, Roethlisberger, Wilson, and Mahomes come to mind. The fact is, Cousins belongs comfortably in that group. Since he became a full-time starter in 2015, Kirk Cousins is tied with Russell Wilson for 6th among active players. He has 22 comebacks or game winning drives between the 4th quarter and OT. Didn’t expect that did you? That number may have been even bigger if not for untimely defensive meltdowns or missed field goals.
https://twitter.com/UltimateFanUSA/status/1539679465004990466?s=20&t=QaS8IauPvEBBqo2672kTfg
The Numbers don’t Lie
Since 2017, Cousins ranks 4th in the league with 20, 480 yards trailing only Tom Brady, Matt Ryan, and Derek Carr. For the past 2 seasons, Kirk has an TD to interception ratio of 24/5 in divisional games, good for 3rd best in the NFL. The Vikings QB was near the top of the league in “Win Probability Added” when dropping back to pass during the 2021 season. I don’t know about you, but I like a better chance of winning when the ball is in my QB’s hands. I expect these elite numbers to continue this year, and I’m not alone in believing this will be a big year for Kirk Cousins.
https://twitter.com/DexsTweets/status/1528753069315575808?s=20&t=QaS8IauPvEBBqo2672kTfg
Wins and Losses don’t tell the Whole Story
Mike Zimmer led defenses have been known to be nasty, hard hitting, and stingy. The 2020 and 2021 season saw a complete reversal of that. 27th in total yards allowed and 29th in points per game allowed. Sounds like numbers the Lions defense would put up. Well, you’d be wrong because those were the 2020 defensive rankings of the Vikings. “It will get better in 2021” many believed, but it didn’t. The Vikings had the 30th ranked defense by yards, and historically bad numbers inside of 2 minutes of each half. Very few QB’s would be successful in that situation. After some key defensives signings including the draft, a revamped defense should be there have Cousins back.
https://twitter.com/Krauserrific/status/1467616976017113090?s=20&t=QaS8IauPvEBBqo2672kTfg
At the end of the day, I may not be able to convince anyone that Kirk is a top 10 QB. I had my doubts early on, but Kirk Cousins has consistently put this team in position to win. He has the numbers to prove it and a team standing behind their captain. With Kirk getting a handle on the teams new high flying O’Connell offense, the sky is the limit.
https://twitter.com/ProFootballTalk/status/1516774583390507010?s=20&t=QaS8IauPvEBBqo2672kTfg
