Week 1 - Vikings @ Bengals Support Group

Cousins’ opening week performance put him on par with players like Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford, but there was a meaningful difference in their performances. While the other two quarterbacks were able to lead their teams to victory, Cousins came up short. His performance in Cincinnati was a microcosm of his career.

Cousins? Even though it makes some fans cringe, he is at his best when he lets it fly. The past two seasons have been the most efficient of his career. He’s averaged 8.2 yards per attempt. This creates the explosive plays that Mike Zimmer raved about in February and allows Dalvin Cook to be a late-game hammer.

But instead of being aggressive, Cousins was content to check it down on Sunday. While he threw for big yardage, he did so on 49 attempts, logging 7.1 yards per throw. This could be a result of a poor performance from the offensive line, but Pro Football Focus charted the same amount of time to throw (2.37) as Stafford did against the Bears.

Stafford never played with multiple elite receivers, which sets his performance apart from Cousins’. In fact, Cousins’ approach sets him apart from many quarterbacks.

Like Brady and Stafford, the top quarterbacks in the league aren’t afraid to take shots. Hell, Patrick Mahomes has his own meme because of it. Cousins’ day in Cincinnati looks great on paper but it’s not one that’s going to lead the Vikings to where they want to go.

While many things didn’t go the Vikings’ way on Sunday, they could have been better served if Cousins came out willing to grab the Bengals by the tail. Instead, Cousins checked it down and had a performance that has plagued his tenure in Minnesota.