2021 Offensive Woes

Kirk Cousins had pressure swarming him, an unfortunate reality he faced for much of Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers. He had little time to make a decision. The game was tied at 31, and only 93 seconds remained with the Vikings’ season teetering.

So with white jerseys nearing him, Cousins threw a pass to his left to Adam Thielen. His reliable wide receiver was covered. It was the kind of pass we’ve seldom seen from the quarterback, who typically spurns these types of passes for targets where the receiver has created more separation.

But in one of the biggest spots of the game, Cousins threw caution to the wind and trusted Thielen to make a play. It represented the kind of mindset shift fans and coaches have been seeking from Cousins for years. He took on more risk than he’s typically comfortable with to try to set up a win with time winding down. And even against tough coverage and with a pass that wasn’t perfectly placed, Thielen made an impressive catch, tip-toed near the sideline and gained 26 yards to set up the game-winning field goal.

It led to a victory in one of Cousins’ best games in purple and served as his final pass on a day where several aggressive throws led to his best numbers of the season: 24-for-35 for 341 yards and three touchdowns. As the Vikings offense put its early-season struggles in the rearview mirror, it seemed the key had been realized. When Cousins is aggressive and trusts his top receivers, this offense can perform as a top-five unit, which is where it ranks since Week 6 in expected points added per play. Performances and completions like that offer hope that playoff success could be in the Vikings’ future.

That, at least, was the perception in the immediate moments after the Vikings’ 34-31 win.

But here’s the part where the optimism dampens. Cousins saw that play differently. Whereas most saw a talented quarterback finally trusting one of his top receivers in a big moment, Cousins saw unnecessary risk. He probably should’ve made a shorter throw to his tight end, Tyler Conklin (who was open), he thought.

“I mean, I could point to a half-dozen throws there that were too aggressive, and I could argue that that’s one of them and I don’t think you want to live doing that,” Cousins said. “I think that we got away with it a couple times. I keep saying we’re (on the) razor’s edge, but that’s a play where it’s an example of it. The difference between (Thielen) catching that and making the play he did and it going the other way is very small. Tyler Conklin did a great job on his route winning on that play, and so I’ve got to go back and look at it and say, ‘How can we give Adam a better chance to create separation?’ Maybe a different route concept for me to give to him and then even what took me there, should I have worked with Tyler instead? And so you’re hard on yourself working through all that because you don’t want to live in a world throwing the ball into a covered player and crossing your fingers. You don’t want to live in that world. There’s a time and a place for it, but you also want to be a smart football player.”

There’s a lot to be hopeful about with the Vikings. The offense is clicking. The schedule eases up from here. The rest of the teams they’re competing with for a wild-card spot aren’t very good.

But if there’s a reason for concern, it’s quotes like the above one from Cousins. It suggests that the Vikings’ downfield passing the last two weeks — a tweak that has resulted in wins over the 6-4 Chargers and 8-3 Packers — is more of an aberration than a philosophical switch. It doesn’t matter that they’ve been two of his best games this season, combining for five touchdowns and 635 yards. It doesn’t matter that receiver Justin Jefferson has caught fire the last two games, catching 17 passes for 312 yards and two touchdowns. And it doesn’t matter that Mike Zimmer continues to urge Cousins to take more chances and seek those deep shots. As Cousins said after Sunday’s game, those deep passes of late were simply because of the way the defense played against the Vikings.

“A lot of quarter shells and lower safeties gave chances to get behind them,” Cousins said. “We’ve got some other looks where people are really keeping things in front of them, and that’s a very different thought process.”

Instead of an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other, it seems Cousins enters each play with his inner Brett Favre perched on one side, urged on by his coach and star receivers, and his inner Sam Bradford on the other, cheered on by a robotic nature that dictates where the ball goes based on what the defense does.

The Vikings have had both extremes in recent years. Before Cousins arrived, Bradford sought short gains and a methodical approach, which helped him break the league’s completion percentage record. After that, they had Case Keenum, a true gunslinger even if his arm didn’t always let him complete the throws he wanted.

But Zimmer was OK with the latter approach. “The thing I like most with Case is he’s got big balls,” Zimmer famously said. Despite his reputation for a conservative style of play, Zimmer has always been OK with deep shots even if they lead to a higher rate of turnovers. He trusts his defense to make stops if needed. While channeling his mentor, Bill Parcells, Zimmer has often noted that he’d rather coach “whoa than go.” His point is it’s easier to reel in a player who’s trying to do too much than generate aggressiveness in a player who’s too conservative.

But such is Zimmer’s latest task as he tries to get the best out of Cousins.

“I talk to Kirk every week, and I told him, ‘Look, you try to score touchdowns, you let me back the game down when it’s time to do it,’” Zimmer said. “So that’s kind of our approach.”

To be fair, it’s worth noting that Cousins’ more aggressive play on Sunday nearly led to two interceptions. The first was a simple miscommunication between him and the receiver before a roughing-the-passer penalty negated the turnover. The second, an ill-advised deep throw to Jefferson in double coverage, was overruled after a review determined the ball hit the ground.

But it’s also fair to note that the Vikings’ best season under Zimmer came with Keenum under center, even if it was aided by a fair bit of luck on the quarterback’s part and an unreal defense. The Vikings didn’t bring back Keenum for a reason. Cousins is a better thrower of the football in every way. He’s better, too, at diagnosing defenses and getting the Vikings in the right play.

But if there’s one trait Zimmer wants from Cousins, it’s to take more chances the way Keenum did. Sure, the throw to Thielen with the game on the line against their biggest rivals was dicey. But the Vikings have two of the best receivers in football. It’s OK to trust them to make a play.