Kirk Cousins

2023 - 1 - 15

Post cover — Image courtesy of "NBC Sports"

Kirk Cousins perfect on opening drive as Vikings take 7-0 lead (NBC Sports)

With most of the nation still watching the end of the Bills' victory over the Dolphins, which went almost four hours, the Vikings took the opening kickoff and ...

[Kirk Cousins](https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/football/nfl/player/9730/kirk-cousins) to tight end [T.J. Hockenson](https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/football/nfl/player/51527/tj-hockenson). They had only one third down, a third-and-two from the Giants 10 that they converted on a 4-yard pass from

Kirk Cousins perfect on opening drive, caps it with touchdown (Vikings Wire)

The Minnesota Vikings started the game off in perfect fashion, driving 75 yards in 12 plays to take a 7-0 lead. The key to the touchdown was quarterback ...

That will be a key to taking advantage of the Giants’ aggressive defense. Ins and hitches were the biggest contributors to success. The Minnesota Vikings started the game off in perfect fashion, driving 75 yards in 12 plays to take a 7-0 lead.

NFL World Reacts To Kirk Cousins' Performance On Sunday (The Spun)

It's become a meme through the years that Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins can never step up and play great in primetime or the postseason.

That can always change, but right now he's getting a ton of respect from around the league. Cousins has just one playoff win in his career but just had an historically good season. His passer rating is a dazzling 121.9 heading into the second half.

Kirk Cousins' Vikings playoff feat not seen in 19 years (ClutchPoints)

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins got off to a historic start in their Wild Card showdown with the New York Giants on Sunday.

It gave the Vikings the lead, though the Giants fought back and responded with a 14-point run for the lead. With less than a minute remaining in the quarter, however, Cousins perfectly set up KJ Osborn for the touchdown. Cousins scored the team’s first touchdown off a short run in the first quarter before throwing for their second TD late in the second.

Kirk Cousins, TJ Hockenson keep Minnesota drive alive with key 4th ... (Saturday Tradition)

Kirk Cousins and T.J. Hockenson worked together on a big fourth down play to keep the Minnesota Vikings drive alive late in the third quarter.

Both Cousins and Hockenson are primed for a great finish. Hockenson worked together on a big fourth down play to keep the Minnesota Vikings drive alive late in the third quarter. Hockenson delivered that play to his team.

Cousins locates Irv Smith Jr. in back of end zone for TD (NFL.com)

the New York Giants. Hockenson's best plays from his 129-yard game in the Super Wild Card Weekend matchup vs. [video](/videos/kyle-hamilton-jars-football-loose-from-hurst-for-key-ravens-takeaway) [video](/videos/can-t-miss-play-ravens-disastrous-snap-evolves-into-their-longest-pass-play-of-n) [video](/videos/j-k-dobbins-morphs-into-freight-train-on-pile-driving-15-yard-run) [video](/videos/justin-tucker-s-22-yard-fg-gives-ravens-one-point-lead-before-halftime)

Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell, QB Kirk Cousins explain fourth-and-8 ... (NFL.com)

With the game on the line, Kirk Cousins' completion to T.J. Hockenson was well short of the sticks in the Vikings' loss to the Giants, leaving plenty to ...

"(Cousins) knew it was fourth down, and he wanted to make sure he put the ball in play. "Looking back on it, maybe I could have been more (clear and said), 'Hey, this is where you want the ball to be.'" O'Connell has been there less than a year, but he seems to have the concept of "Minnesota nice" down cold. Jefferson's final catch was a 4-yard reception with 3:11 left in the third quarter. (have) a chance to win the football game (by) pushing the ball downfield. But I felt like I was going to go down and take a sack and put it out." The stage was set in Sunday's Super Wild Card Weekend meeting for Cousins and the Vikings to go down the field again. "On that fourth down, (we were) just trying to get some eligibles vertical and the ball ended up going underneath," O'Connell said. "But the intent was to try to … [Justin (Jefferson)](https://www.nfl.com/players/justin-jefferson/) and didn't feel good about putting it up to Justin. "I saw single-high (coverage) and tried to work For all the guff [Kirk Cousins](/players/kirk-cousins/) takes, he also led the NFL in game-winning drives this season with eight.

Kirk Cousins Disappoints Vikings Fans Yet Again After Crushing ... (Bleacher Report)

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins put up some solid stats in Sunday's NFC Wild Card Game against the New York Giants, but his final pass of the day ...

However, his decision to throw a short pass on a potential game-tying drive destroyed Minnesota's chances of continuing its postseason run. Hockenson, but a defender was right next to him and stopped him well short of the first-down marker to seal a 31-24 loss for Minnesota in front of its home fans at U.S. With the Vikings' season on the line late in the fourth quarter, Cousins threw a checkdown pass on fourth down.

Twitter Sounds Off About Kirk Cousins' Fourth-Down Pass to End the Vikings Season (NBC Chicago)

Quarterback Kirk Cousins immediately targeted tight end T.J. Hockenson for three yards...just barely beyond the line of scrimmage. https://twitter.com/hashtag/NYGvsMIN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NYGvsMIN on FOX

But while the defense will certainly undergo a complete autopsy, the decisive play of the game for the Vikings actually came on the offensive side of the ball. As Bill Simmons said, the Vikings will certainly have a lot of reflecting to do this offseason. The Minnesota defense had no answer for Giants' quarterback Daniels Jones, who recorded 301 passing yards and 78 rushing yards in his postseason debut.

Kirk Cousins getting destroyed for checkdown with game on the line (Sports Illustrated)

The defense faltered on the big stage, and so did Cousins with the game on the line.

"I had thrown short of the sticks a few plays in the game and even going back a few weeks and just felt like throwing short of the sticks isn't the end of the world. "I was watching some of the routes down the field kind of materialize and the pocket may or may not have been collapsing on him and he just wanted to make sure he gave somebody a chance and they made a play." Hockenson but was well short of the first down and it killed the final drive of Minnesota's season in a 31-24 loss to the Giants on Wild Card weekend.

Giants bail out officials, NFL after ridiculous roughing call on critical ... (Yahoo Sports)

With 2:33 remaining in the fourth quarter and the Giants leading 31-24, Kirk Cousins took a shotgun snap on second-and-4 from the Minnesota 18-yard line. Giants ...

Vikings' Kirk Cousins roasted for check down pass in loss to Giants (ClutchPoints)

Twitter isn't being too kind to Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings following their upset 31-24 home loss in the NFL Wild-Card...

They even extended him twice since, and now Vikings supporters are left once again to wonder whether he actually has what it takes to bring Minnesota a Super Bowl title. [January 16, 2023] [31-24 home loss](https://clutchpoints.com/nfc-wild-card-odds-giants-vs-vikings-prediction-pick-how-to-watch-1-15-2023) in the NFL Wild-Card Round at the hands of Daniel Jones and the visiting New York Giants.

What Went Wrong for Kirk Cousins, Vikings on the Decisive Fourth ... (Sports Illustrated)

Cousins, running out of time to throw, checked it down to T.J. Hockenson on fourth down.

This time, with a chance to go tie the game, he didn't get it done. It's especially hard to believe when one of those potential targets is Jefferson, the NFL's leading receiver and a player with a very strong argument as the best in the world at his position. "I had thrown short of the sticks on a few occasions in the game and even going back a few weeks and just felt like throwing short of the sticks isn’t the end of the world," Cousins said. But throwing it up to one of his receivers would at least have created the possibility of a spectacular play to extend the game. But yeah, looking back on it, I maybe could’ve just been a little bit more, ‘Hey, this is kind of where you want the ball to go,’ but I want Kirk to be able to play. "As a play caller, you’re not going to call a primary concept where somebody’s short of the sticks to gain, especially on fourth down," O'Connell said. On the following play, with the season on the line, Cousins checked it down to T.J. Obviously, Hockenson wasn't the first read on that play — and it's fair to question why he was running a three-yard route at all. The third and 8 isn't the play that will be talked about for a long time, though. That’s really the play that I want back is the third and 8." As was the case all season, it was going to come down to a couple critical plays in crunch time. The defense, which allowed 431 yards and gave up five scoring drives, was the bigger issue, putting all kinds of pressure on the offense to be nearly flawless in order to keep pace on the scoreboard.

Anatomy of a Play: Kirk Cousins' game-ending fourth-down throw ... (Touchdown Wire)

Kirk Cousins' game-ending throw short of the sticks was a bad idea, but it wasn't the quarterback's fault. Here's how it went down.

I had thrown short of the sticks on a few occasions in the game and even going back a few weeks and just felt like throwing it short of the sticks isn’t the end of the world. That was the play to win it.” “Saw single high, tried to work Justin, didn’t feel good about putting it up to Justin, and when I went to progress [through his reads], I just felt like I was about to get sacked and I felt like I’ve got to put the ball in play. “It’s just a choice route, you know I think there’s angle on the front side. “In the end I look at as it’s as much on me in that play call, even though we had eligibles with a chance down the field. “I can’t be too high on it, but I made the play, and we got off the field and won the game. But again, unless Cousins moved out of the pocket, those “eligibles” had routes that were too long in developing for the situation at hand. But I want Kirk to be able to play. But yeah, looking back on it, I maybe could have just been a little bit more, hey, this is kind of where you want the ball to go. The result was a 3 yard check down to Hockenson. In fact, it wasn’t just Lawrence who was getting to Cousins here. It didn’t help that Hockenson’s route was the only one that wasn’t long-developing.

Kirk Cousins

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