Week 9 - Vikes @ Commanders Support Group

Remember when the former GM Bruce Allen called him “Kurt” on purpose? Or when Jay Gruden said that their 7-9 record in 2017 was, “reflective of the quarterback play?” Or when Cousins heckled his own team’s management by yelling, “How you like me now?” Oh, there was that time Washington’s social media team was forced to tweet out their contract offer to Cousins to publicly argue that he was being unreasonable. Remember when RGIII, of all the people in the entire universe, laughed at Cousins when they drafted Kellen Mond?

As T-Swift would say: Baby, now we got bad blood.

Since arriving in Minnesota Cousins has always avoided taking blatant jabs at Washington. And there was zero chance during his weekly press conference that he was going to make Sunday’s game into a thing that internet aggregators and pregame shows could feast on in the lead-up. Here’s what he said when he was asked on Wednesday why Washington didn’t do more to keep him:

“It’s a league that you want to win and you’ve got to win, and it’s what have you done lately? And you’re only as good as your last play,” Cousins said. “So, I think when you’re .500, it’s hard to have that staying power in really any place.”

I have no idea how to interpret that comment.

Do you ever think about how Cousins must be frustrated by the lack of belief — whether it be Washington, his former coach, media or whoever — but he has never really expressed it. It’s come out in a few ways, like the “You like that?” or shaking Mike Zimmer like a ragdoll after a win over Detroit.

When he was quizzed about the report that lamest-villain-ever Daniel Snyder was looking into selling the team because of — well, it would take something that reads like the Steele Dossier to name it all — Cousins said that he hadn’t heard what was going on and it was “above his head.”

Cousins doesn’t have whatever strain of DNA made Michael Jordan wildly petty and vengeful but there had to be a part of him that wanted to let out a “HA!” loud enough it could be heard in Duluth.

As the Vikings sit at 6-1, he’s been subtly nipping at the QB Wins narrative that has followed him since Washington, pointing out that this has been his best ever W-L start to a season despite his overall performance being down from previous seasons, whether it’s by PFF grade, ESPN’s QBR, box score stats or his own assessment.

“I’ve been kind of chuckling to myself driving home ‘cause I just say, ‘We can play so much better. We have played so much better,’ Cousins said. “But, there were games where we would lose and I’d drive home and I would say, “I don’t know if I can play a lot better, like that’s about as good as I can do and then we lost.” There’s been a lot of games this year where it’s been like man, thanks to the defense, thanks to special teams, thanks to turnovers, thanks to the run game, thanks to whatever, we’re winning, but, man, I can play a lot better.”

Not that anyone has ever said the quarterback is fully responsible for winning and losing or that Cousins hasn’t had great stretches during his career. In fact, he/team went 5-1 at one point in 2020. He had a 7-2 run in 2019, a 6-1-1 roll in 2016 and 5-1 finish to the 2015 season, which Cousins called his best memory as a [FOTNR].

“Winning the division in 2015 at Philly the day after Christmas, we came back from the game, pulled into the facility at 2 a.m., 3 a.m., the bus couldn’t move because it was just packed with fans, I’ll never forget that,” Cousins said.

“That’s really what it’s all about. Being able to put the fans in a position to be that excited about your football team. Because of our start, we’re in that similar position to put people in a place where that can maybe happen. So, we want to work to try to create that.”

For an assortment of reasons, 2022 has given Cousins and the Vikings their best chance to have moments like what he described in D.C.

But they have to improve in order to get there. The Vikings’ passing attack ranks 16th in adjusted yards per pass attempt, 11th in Expected Points Added and the offense is 16th in scoring percentage. As .500-ish as it gets.

In previous years the ceiling seemed to be the floor. This year with O’Connell’s offense becoming more familiar to Cousins by the week and the QB is finally getting the support from his coach that did not always come from his old pals in Washington or the previous regime.

“I think Kirk’s playing some really, really good football,” O’Connell said. “I think he’s handling our offense at a level that’s allowing us to continue to build and continue to challenge our players around him to do things to help put us in successful positions.”

So it stands to reason that the offense can get better as it goes along — especially with the addition of tight end TJ Hockenson.

“I think I’m getting more comfortable in this system,” Cousins said. “I felt it on Sunday that I’m in a different place against Arizona than maybe Week 3. So, that was encouraging.”

In past seasons of Cousins’ career disappointment has followed his hottest streaks. This year it feels like his best play is yet to come and the chances of a downfall are significantly lessoned by the state of the NFC North. But there’s still a long way to go and it’s apropos that the game after a significant trade ramped up expectations comes against the team that never thought Cousins could get them over the hump.

So his revenge game isn’t as much Kirk vs. Dan Snyder as it is Kirk vs. What Washington Thought of Kirk. That revenge makes a stop in D.C. this weekend but it’s really about the 2022 season and making good on the promises made when Cousins left D.C. for Minnesota. Revenge is playing deep into January, not just winning this Sunday.

What I’m watching

Lewis: T.J. Hockenson. The tight end arrived Tuesday night. The last three days have been about introducing him to the Vikings playbook. How much will he play? What will his role be? Both are intriguing questions, especially in light of Irv Smith Jr.’s absence. Are the Vikings comfortable relying on Johnny Mundt, whose roles in the running and passing games are unlikely to disappear? Whatever the case, Hockenson has the ability to elevate what the Vikings are capable of offensively, and it’ll be interesting to see if he flashes that from the get-go.

Krawczynski: The return of Captain Kirk, obviously. After watching Patrick Peterson froth at the mouth to beat the Cardinals last weekend, it’s hard not to keep your eyes on Cousins in his return to Washington this weekend. Cousins is the kind of guy who should be able to compartmentalize, and he’s been gone long enough that the emotions will undoubtedly be less raw than those Peterson and Jordan Hicks felt against Arizona. But Cousins did not throw a touchdown pass the last time the Vikings faced Washington, and I’d imagine he’d feel good about having a big day against his former team.

Biggest concerns

Lewis: Washington’s defensive line. The Commanders have generated the third-highest pressure rate in the NFL (36.9 percent). Montez Sweat and Jonathan Allen will test Vikings tackles Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill. Daron Payne and James Smith-Williams are capable of denting the Minnesota interior. Can the Vikings offensive line prevent that from happening? Or, put differently, if it happens, can Cousins remain efficient? Sunday’s result may depend on it.

Krawczynski: Taylor Heinicke’s magic. It feels weird to say it, but sometimes a team just really gravitates to, and rallies around, a quarterback. That seems to be what the Commanders are doing with Heinicke. In an era of more careful and precise quarterback play, Heinicke is a risk-taker. That aggressiveness has emboldened the Commanders and means the Vikings have to be on their toes and ready for anything with him. He’s playing fast and loose, reminding me of what Case Keenum did for the Vikings in the “Minneapolis Miracle” season. The Vikings will have to try to use that boldness against him and create some turnovers.

Most interesting storyline

Lewis: Kirk Cousins’ return. Jon already touched on it, but Washington stands as a key time in Cousins’ career. He arrived as a college-aged kid and left as a married man. Cousins, now 34, returns amid one of his most enjoyable seasons to date. He has admitted that his play has not lived up to the level he expects, but Minnesota’s team-wide success is what he values. A win in front of the team that chose not to re-sign him would only tack further enjoyment on top of the sundae of this season. But I wouldn’t expect him to treat the entire experience the way Patrick Peterson did last week against his former team.

Krawczynski: Justin Jefferson hasn’t caught a touchdown pass since Week 1. He’s piling up the yards and catches and making a real difference week in and week out. His third-down reception last week in the third quarter may have been the biggest play of the game. But he hasn’t seen the end zone via a pass since he torched the Packers in the season opener, and he knows it. The Commanders have allowed 14 passing touchdowns this season. Only three teams in the league have allowed more. Jefferson should be licking his chops.