Minnesota Vikings Need Kirk Cousins To Register Sharp Start In 2020

NFL coaches will tell you that the first priority when discussing the schedule is that getting off to a good start is essential to meeting goals for the team.

It doesn’t always work like that, and teams can rebound from slow starts to make the playoffs or win their division. Jimmy Johnson’s 1993 Dallas Cowboys famously dropped their first two games but rebounded to go 12-4 and win a second consecutive Super Bowl.

Of course, those Cowboys had Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and a holdout running back named Emmitt Smith. Once Smith returned, the Cowboys quickly found their swagger and reeled off seven straight wins to re-establish their superiority.

Nobody is going to look at the 2020 Minnesota Vikings as the same kind of team as the ’93 Cowboys, and a slow start could cause huge problems. Yes, this team has the leadership in head coach Mike Zimmer and his staff to avoid going down the drain as a result of an early loss or two, but the problem with a slow start lies under center.

The Vikings open the year at home against the defending NFC North champion Green Bay Packers September 13, that is if the COVID-19 pandemic doesn’t put a halt on the NFL’s plans.

The Vikings lost both meetings to the Packers in 2019, and quarterback Kirk Cousins was basically unable to decipher the Green Bay defense and was inept when it came to launching the Minnesota offense.

In a Week 2 game at Lambeau Field, the Vikings fell behind early before mounting the semblance of a comeback. They had a chance to take the lead in the fourth quarter, but a late Cousins interception ruined those plans and they dropped a 21-16 decision.

The Vikings had another shot at Green Bay in Week 16 at home, and they came into that game having won eight of their previous 10 games and with their offense functioning at a sensational level. However, with a chance to threaten Green Bay’s grip on first place, Cousins completed 16 of 31 passes for a paltry 131 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Minnesota dropped a 23-10 decision.

It was a pitiful showing, and Cousins did not look anything like one of the best quarterbacks in the league. While his year-long statistics (69.6 completion percentage, 3,603 passing yards, 26-6 TD-interception ratio) would suggest otherwise, his performances in the two games against the Packers and the season-ending divisional playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers are reason to believe that Cousins is anything but a proven commodity when it comes to big games.

This year, he must make a statement in that opener to help his status with his teammates, coaches, fans, and perhaps most importantly, himself.

Cousins has the kind of contract ($40 million in 2020; $9.5M base salary, $30M signing bonus; $500K workout bonus) that makes him an elite NFL quarterback. It is one thing to look at his paycheck and believe he is one of the best at his position, and it’s quite another to look in the mirror and believe it.

One game will not a season make, but another poor performance against the team’s top rival may make it impossible for Cousins to rewrite his career-long script.

Obviously, there are many important games in the upcoming season, and many vital tests, including back-to-back road games against the Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks in Weeks 4 and 5.

The Vikings will face a challenge with three consecutive games against division rivals in Weeks 7 through 9 against the Packers (road), Lions (home) and Bears (road, Monday night) that will be followed by a home game against the Mike McCarthy-led Dallas Cowboys.

The Vikings will also close the season with four games against the Bucs, Saints, Bears and Lions. The only home game in that stretch is against Chicago.

The Vikings have many issues this season aside from the play of their quarterback. However, whether Cousins will ever be good enough to take this team on a long postseason run – meaning to the Super Bowl – may get answered in his Week 1 performance.