Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins needed a good week, just to silence the talk about him for a moment — though he professes to not hear it.
But an improved passing game, and a win over the Giants at least changed the conversation, a week after the $84 million (guaranteed) quarterback apologized to his wide receiver for their struggles in the passing game.
This week, he won’t have to discuss his relationship with Adam Thielen, other than in terms of how tight they are.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever had a closer friend in the league than Adam,” Cousins said, via Peter King of NBC’s Football Morning in America. “We sit together on planes. Our families are friendly. What’s funny is the comment Adam made after the game last week is the same one he’s said to me. He thought it was unrealistic to just run it and have that be all our offense. So I had the context. But I guess it took on a life of its own.”
Cousins was 22-of-27 passing for 306 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions, and for a change, wasn’t something they planned around. He had averaged 15.5 pass attempts in their first two wins, as they leaned on their running game to get by. But when he had to pass and it didn’t work, it was hard to pretend to not know it.
“It was a pretty normal week for me, and a very good practice week,” Cousins said. “I can read between the lines when reporters are asking me things, so I guess there was a lot swirling around. I can tell by the tenor of the questions.
“But I can tell you I don’t pay attention to what’s out there. I just don’t. Maybe a high school friend will text me something about me coming under fire. I’ve gotten to the point where I tell my friends: ‘You don’t have to text me.’ Really, it’s better to be in the dark.”
Actually, it’s better to play better, so your friends don’t have to approach you with a worried tone. And for a week, Cousins was able to do just that.