3:02 pm | September 9, 2018 | Go to Source | Author:
MINNEAPOLIS — Kirk Cousins walked away from his Vikings debut with a glimpse of just how dynamic his new team can be and the things that will be key in Minnesota’s search for a championship.
The Vikings’ offense flourished under Cousins throughout much of their 24-16 win over the San Francisco 49ers. On an afternoon in which the quarterback eclipsed the century mark in career touchdown passes, Cousins threw for 244 yards and two touchdowns and finished with a 95.1 passer rating.
Familiar with the “distracted boyfriend” meme? The one where a gentleman walking hand-in-hand with his girlfriend looks over his shoulder at a woman in the forefront? That’s probably how 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan felt after seeing the QB he hoped he’d one day reunite with make incredible touchdown throws, including a 22-yard dime to Stefon Diggs and an 11-yard pass to the back of the end zone to Kyle Rudolph — a throw he executed with the hand of DeForest Buckner inches from his face mask.
Cousins learned in his first regular-season outing with Minnesota how explosive the Vikings’ offense is with the playmakers he has at his disposal. What he also learned was playing with the backing of the NFL’s No. 1 defense is a really, really nice luxury to have.
Ahead of the two-minute warning in the first half with the 49ers threatening from the 1-yard line, Eric Kendricks forced a fumble with Harrison Smith swooping in to recover the ball. One play after 49ers tight end George Kittle dropped an easy touchdown, Vikings rookie cornerback Mike Hughes came away with a pick-six early in the third quarter. Xavier Rhodes followed up with an interception at the beginning of the fourth quarter, once again stopping any chance the 49ers had of finishing off drives in the end zone.
Cousins also learned the things that could hurt Minnesota. For as much good that happened in his debut, there’s a lot to be cleaned up before the Vikings face the Packers on the road in Week 2.
The Vikings could have used more from their run game. Up until Dalvin Cook’s second-quarter fumble, the Vikings running back was embarrassing the San Francisco defense. Between Cook and Latavius Murray, the Vikings’ run game averaged 3.6 yards per rush, which isn’t awful, but this offense prides itself on going as far as its run game will take it.
What Cousins did get to see is how explosive the offense can be with Cook as a pass-catcher. The second-year rusher recorded his longest reception off a short screen pass that he took for 17 yards. Once Cook is able to catch a pass, find a seam and rip off a big run, that will be one of the most dangerous plays in Cousins’ arsenal.
The pressure created by a defense that was in the bottom third of the league in sacks last season caused Minnesota’s offense some issues. The Vikings’ offensive linemen will continue to be evaluated for the areas in which they struggled and how Minnesota can best protect Cousins going forward.
Still, in spite of some of those issues, Cousins displayed great pocket awareness and looked sharp in his debut. Minnesota’s $84 million man got the job done in Week 1, starting his Vikings career on a high note.
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