10-10-2022, 06:48 PM
Vikings win over Bears shows Kirk Cousins has more support than ever from teamThe quarterback used hard counts, run-pass options, a no-huddle offense and pre-snap checks to great effect on a day when he broke Tommy Kramer's record for consecutive completions.
By Ben Goessling Star TribuneOctober 10, 2022 — 1:11pm
The franchise-record 17 consecutive passes Kirk Cousins completed to start Sunday's game were part of a game plan the quarterback said "put the wind at our backs," with plays that allowed him to find his first read in open space.The 17-play drive Cousins orchestrated to give the Vikings their final 29-22 lead over the Bears, Kevin O'Connell said, featured examples of Cousins "really playing quarterback today, as far as playing the game post-snap, throwing completions, being accurate." Later, he added, "Where he's at and where he's headed in this offense, I feel very, very good about Kirk Cousins."
Sunday was the first time this season the Vikings eclipsed 300 passing yards. Their offense still goes through stretches of maddening inconsistency, like during the Bears' 19-point run to take the lead in the second half. It was difficult to listen to Cousins and O'Connell's postgame comments, though, and not infer the quarterback is more supported and empowered than at any point during his five seasons with the team.
One of the Vikings' four third-down conversions on their final drive came when Cousins saw the Bears were in two-man coverage, realized he had room to run and pulled the ball down for a 5-yard gain.
"I felt Adam get bear hugged. He was really my No. 1 guy on the route and he got bear hugged, so he's not getting open," Cousins said. "And then Irv [Smith] kind of got mugged, as well, getting off the line. And then the rush, I just felt somebody cross my face and rather than progress to the backside to Justin [Jefferson] and K.J. [Osborn], I knew I had a chance to run. I felt the rush kind of cross my face, and I just thought, 'I'm just going to take off here and try to get it.'"
On his game-winning QB sneak, Cousins started in shotgun before moving under center, admitting after the game the keeper was one of several options he had on the play.
"Very decisive and really taking advantage of the plan that we put together," O'Connell said. "He's going to continue to have comfort, and also continue to have a say in what we do offensively. I want him comfortable, with not only the plays I do call, but him and I spend a lot of time together. If there's plenty of them that I can take a red pen to and [send] to the old-play graveyard, that's OK, too. But whatever comes out of my mouth on game day, I want him to have ultimate clarity. "
According to ESPN Stats and Information, there wasn't a defender within a yard of a Vikings receiver on any of Cousins' 41 pass attempts on Sunday. His expected completion rate, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, was 74.7% — tied with Jacksonville's Trevor Lawrence in Week 2 and Cleveland's Jacoby Brissett in Week 3 for the third-highest single-game rate in the league this season.
Cousins averaged 9.25 yards per completion on Sunday, though his average completion traveled just 4.5 yards in the air, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. His longest completion — a throw to Jefferson off a three-step dropback that Cousins fit over Bears cornerback Kindle Victor — traveled 34 yards in the air. The fact he delivered so many passes on time allowed his receivers to gain more than half of his 296 passing yards after the catch.
"You don't have to throw it over people's heads all the time to generate explosives," O'Connell said. "Some people just won't allow that, and that's when we kind of have to lock into a mode of all five eligibles coming to life, attacking coverage within depth, and our guys just have done a tremendous job."
Cousins' interception on Sunday was his fifth in as many games; it came, he said, as he tried to make up for previous safer throws by chasing a bigger play to Thielen, rather than taking a high-percentage throw to C.J. Ham in the flat. The Vikings have punted just seven times during their three-game win streak, but whether it's been because of turnovers or red-zone struggles, they've been unable to build or keep comfortable leads.
Cousins, though, would seem to have a larger voice in the Vikings' offense than he's had in the past. As O'Connell put it Sunday, "Our team can handle a lot because our quarterback can handle a lot."
Even if, by Cousins' own admission, he's still learning the details of O'Connell's scheme, the 11th-year quarterback has his coach's trust.
"I would tell you that after being in a system for three-ish years, three different play callers but a similar system, I'm not where I was at the end of last season in that old system," Cousins said. "But we're developing and we're getting there. I'm excited about that continued growth, and we have to keep showing that. We've got to get to the bye and look back and feel like we are every week taking another step towards that synergy. He certainly is in my corner, and I think that makes for a great help as a quarterback."
https://www.startribune.com/vikings-bears-kirk-cousins-kevin-oconnell-cameron-dantzler/600214536/
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