Given those differentials, it stands to reason that if play-action passing increases, so too will Cousins’ passing efficiency.Similarly, Cousins’ career passer rating under center is 109.1 vs. 90.1 in shotgun- a relatively large differential. And yet every year, he’s well down the list in the percentage of play-action passes run.
Sure he can. For Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, the overriding negative narrative is that he is not a quarterback who handles pressure particularly well.Be it the pressure of bright lights on prime time television or the pressure of a 265-pound defensive end barreling down on him, Cousins has earned a reputation as a quarterback who crumbles …
Last year he had his best passer rating (83.1) and ranking (7th), among QBs under pressure with at least 400 pass attempts. They lost 4 of those games, and nearly 5 if not for the Minneapolis Miracle. He’s been expected to carry his team - because his team has never had a good running game - and only last season a good defense. Career-to-date, Cousins’ average passer rating has declined as the game goes on. Vikings acquire Yannick Ngakoue from Jacksonville JaguarsThe Vikings get one of the league’s best young pass rushersMinnesota Vikings News and Links: August 29th and 30th, 2020 Are we already underselling the Vikings’ cornerbacks?What Is Gary Kubiak Planning for the Vikings Offense? That percentage dropped to 20th under John DeFilippo last season.Given all of the above, I would not be surprised to see play-action passes account for somewhere close to 30% of a passing plays - vs. 20.8% last season.Last season Cousins’ passer rating was 116.1 in play-action vs. 95.2 without it. Last year he had his best passer rating (83.1) and ranking (7th), among QBs under pressure with at least 400 pass attempts. Minnesota Pro Sports. But the Vikings, as it turned out, needed to win three of their five December games to make the playoffs. Last season, while still having a top 10 defense, the Vikings had 100 or fewer rushing yards in 12 of their 16 games (75%).
But Cousins has played behind better offensive lines in Washington - with the same results.He’ll have largely the same players as last year at the skill positions too.
I’ll start with the lightning rod himself: Quarterback Except win-loss record. But rather than winning the Super Bowl, the Vikings finished a disappointing 8-7-1, going 1-6 against winning teams. VIKINGS' ARMAGEDDON. TWINS' TALK. Week 12: On the road against the Patriots. There is nothing that suggests Cousins, with the aid of a top 10 defense and running game, can’t substantially improve his winning percentage in any type of game, or win a Super Bowl.His career passer rating currently ranks 9th all-time.Looking at the other top 10 QBs in all-time passer rating - The main difference between Cousins and the QBs on that top 10 list that have won a Super Bowl is that they’ve had a top 10 defense and running game to work with, while Cousins never has.The media tends to lionize those QBs with multiple Super Bowl victories, hailing them as heroes for carrying their team to victory, but the truth is that is seldom the case. NFL Next Gen Stats compiled its list of the best quarterbacks under pressure and Cousins landed at No. Or beats good teams. 129.5 passer rating.Week 12: At home against the Dolphins. Last year Cousins improved to 114.7 - a 30 point improvement and career high.He also improved on 3rd down, going from a 86.5 to 92.6 passer rating, although he did better in this area in 2015 and 2016 - with a 100.9 and 97.0 passer rating respectively. Yards per attempt (YPA) was nearly 2 yards more in play-action (8.6 vs. 6.7), and his completion percentage was 77.1% vs. 68.2 without it.
So, when the chips are down, and the lights are brightest, all eyes point to Cousins.
The Vikings went 4-2-1 in those games. And in four seasons his playoff record is 0-1. Partner of iOne Digital / Cassius Network. 6 spot despite the loss in Seattle, and the schedule the rest of the way is pretty favorable for Mike Zimmer’s squad. Minnesota's Kirk Cousins came in fifth on Shook's list of best QBs under pressure. Archives.
If that rate were to continue next year, along with the Vikings win rate in both 101+ and under-100 yard rushing games, the Vikings - and Kirk Cousins- would go 13-3. He’s a game manager, not a leader. 3 home games, 2 road games, one in prime time. No quarterback has been under pressure more than Kirk Cousins this season and consequently, he leads the league with completions and yards when pressured, but he also has the best completion rate under pressure.