Number grade (out of 10): 4
Kirk Cousins' final stat line — 19-for-25 for 259 yards, two touchdowns and one interception — might not truly represent the quarterback's subpar outing during Sunday's loss against the Packers. Cousins started efficiently with back-to-back completions to receiver Adam Thielen, followed by six straight runs that resulted in a Dalvin Cook rushing touchdown. That was likely how coordinator Gary Kubiak dialed up the afternoon, but the rest of the game did not go so smoothly. The opening drive was the only first-half series to gain positive yardage before a hurry-up drill in the closing seconds of the half.
Good Kirk: Improvisation
Cousins often references a goal to play "off schedule" more efficiently, meaning that when a play breaks down he wants to be able to improvise and make a play that isn't necessarily drawn into the plan. He did just that by evading pressure, rolling right and finding Thielen for a 25-yard gain on the second play of the game. Cousins later paired back-to-back scrambles for 30 rushing yards in the second half, outrunning Packers linebacker Christian Kirksey on a 16-yard run. Cousins wants to run to throw, not to run, and he said keeping his eyes downfield will be a point of emphasis.
Bad Kirk: Two steps back
A couple of bad plays by Cousins led to nine points for the Packers in a game the Vikings ended up losing by nine. First, Cousins did not "throw hot" — or get rid of the ball — as Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander blitzed untouched off the left side, leading to the second-quarter safety. Alexander got Cousins again late in the same quarter, intercepting a pass thrown behind Thielen. Two plays later, Aaron Rodgers threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
One analysis: Running man
Cousins' 34 rushing yards against the Packers was the second-highest rushing output in his NFL career — behind his career-high 38 rushing yards in 2017 with Washington— which isn't necessarily a good thing. While Cousins wants to be more mobile and create plays on the run, he said Sunday, "I actually probably ran it more than I want to." In front of pressure from a strong Packers defensive front, Cousins capped the damage to two sacks (four hits) with improvisation in mind. "What I liked is I didn't try to predetermine it," Cousins said. "It really was just reactionary."
Quotable
"The safety was leaning over to Adam and it was in the short field, so with the combination of it being the boundary and the safety cheating that way, I don't love throwing go-balls with the safety moving over the top. That was why I went to Tajae. I'll have to watch the film to get a better feel for what made the most sense there." – Cousins on the deep fourth-down incompletion to Tajae Sharpe while trailing 22-10.
ANDREW KRAMMER