Is Kirk Cousins the new Miracle in Minneapolis?

Is Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins the new miracle in Minneapolis or just an average quarterback in this league?

Did the Minnesota Vikings make a mistake signing quarterback Kirk Cousins and letting Case Keenum walk, or is he the miracle that Minnesota needs?

I believe keeping Keenum would have been more beneficial to the team after a strong run through the 2017 playoffs. Keenum would have been a bit cheaper for a shorter deal while they groomed a quarterback they selected in the draft the following season.

Cousins was originally drafted in the fourth round by the Washington Redskins. After spending six seasons in Washington, he joined the Minnesota Vikings in free agency signing a three year deal worth $84 million. It was the most money fully guaranteed in a contract at the time he signed the deal.

I think that Minnesota sees Cousins as a franchise quarterback who can take them to the Super Bowl or else they wouldn’t have given him the contract they did. His record doesn’t support his contract and he needs to win 10 or more games, plus make the playoffs next year, to at least silence the Vikings fans from wanting another change at quarterback.

Cousins isn’t a bad quarterback but I wouldn’t call him elite, either. His arm strength is fine but he lacks the ability to fit the ball into the receivers hands in tight spaces like some of the top tier quarterbacks in this league.

There’s no doubt that he’s had some encouraging stats such as passing for more than 4,000 yards and 25 or more touchdowns in four consecutive seasons, but he’s had a near .500 winning percentage all the while.

When comparing Cousins and Keenum, Cousins has a 34-37-2 record with a .479 winning percentage in 73 games and Keenum has a 26-28-0 record with a .481 winning percentage in 54 games. So they are both identical in the winning percentage column.

If you take a look at Cousins’ career record against winning teams its a staggering 5-25. That’s not the only stat worth bringing up, either. He’s 6-13 in prime time games and if you focus in on just Monday and Thursday night games combined he has one win in 13 games. He has a poor record on the road as well with a 13-23-2 record.

Playoff performance is key to being an elite quarterback, and Cousins has only played in one game while with Washington and lost it. He needs to take that next step and win big games and make consecutive playoff runs because just having yards and touchdowns isn’t enough.

Minnesota has pieces in place for success, and the time is now for Cousins to preform. They have a stout defense with George Edwards at the helm. Their offense has some solid weapons like receivers Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen at receiver. They have a top running back in Dalvin Cook, but their issue is still the offensive line. Though they addressed that in their draft by getting the best center in Garrett Bradbury.

It comes down to this next season for Cousins to really show if he can take this team further than 8-7-1 record last season.