Sourdough Sam
Well-known member
- Mar 20, 2019
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Q: Not many pundits gave Kirk Cousins, who was 7-16 in his career in primetime and playoff games, a chance to beat the Saints in the Wild Card Round on Sunday,. However, the Vikings prevailed in the overtime victory which was headlined by the quarterback’s game-winning drive. Looking at Sunday’s game, what was the biggest takeaway from Cousins and his performance against New Orleans?
Smith: The biggest takeaway was that Cousins elevated his game and delivered in perhaps the biggest moment of his career. Kirk has been knocked a lot in his career, but he shut a lot of people up with the way he performed in overtime by hitting on three big throws that ultimately led to a Vikings win. Cousins was good in the first four quarters, not making any mistakes and simply doing what was asked of him. But he flipped a switch once overtime started, and led the Vikings to one of the biggest wins in franchise playoff history — and in Cousins’ own career.
Q: Cousins is coming off one the biggest wins of his career and looked to find a rhythm in overtime. With Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen and Kyle Rudolph healthy, what will Cousins have to do to carry over his performance from the Wild Card game?
Smith: He will need to get rid of the ball quickly, as the 49ers feature a ferocious pass rush with those handful of first-rounders along the defensive front. But he also doesn’t need to try and do too much. As you mentioned, he has a trio of strong options in the passing game, and I’d add running back Dalvin Cook to that group, too. Cousins is rarely asked to throw for 300-plus yards per game in this offense. If he can get the ball in the hands of his playmakers and avoid sacks, he will have done his job Saturday.
Q: Dalvin Cook was banged up in the final weeks of the regular season and averaged 36 rushing yards in his final four week. However, he returned on Sunday with a tremendous 130-yard, two touchdown performance against the Saints. What’s led to Cook’s success last weekend, especially in a hostile environment like New Orleans?
Smith: Simply put, Cook makes the offense click. He’s proven himself to be a dynamic running back in 2019 with 1,100-plus rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns, which forced defenses to key in on him. And with the Vikings favoritism to both the running game and play-action passes, Cook’s presence on the field opens things up for the entire offense. If teams want to play back and not respect the run, Cook can gash a defense. And if they creep up and sell out on him, a fake to Cook helps Cousins in the passing game. Plus, as I mentioned above, Cook is strong in the passing game, too, as he was second on the team with 53 receptions in the regular season.