Mike Zimmer: Monday night’s not all about Kirk Cousins

Getty Images

The Vikings play against the Packers on Monday night and that means there will be plenty of references to quarterback Kirk Cousins‘s record on Monday Night Football.

Washington and Minnesota have gone 0-8 in games started by Cousins on Monday nights, including a 37-30 loss to the Seahawks in Week 13. One of the references to that record came during Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer’s Thursday press conference and Zimmer pointed out that, win or lose, Cousins isn’t the only player on the field for the Vikings in any of their games.

“Kirk has done a great job for us this year, he’s been outstanding and has played great all year long,” Zimmer said, via Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “If we get beat Monday night, it’s not going to be because of Kirk Cousins. It’s going to be because we didn’t win as a team. . . . Hopefully he has a great game and hopefully we win, but it’s not all on him. There are 21 other players and they have to go execute as much as he does. Unfortunately him and I get all the blame.”

A win on Monday would do more than chip away at the narrative surrounding Cousins’s play on Monday nights. It would also clinch a playoff spot, keep the Vikings alive in the race for a division title heading into the final week of the regular season and give the team a win over a hated rival.

All in all, it adds up to a good time for Cousins to finally check off this box.

31 responses to “Mike Zimmer: Monday night’s not all about Kirk Cousins

  1. It will depend on the hapless packer defense. Do the Smith sisters come to play? Will the traditionally horrific packer defense give up 250 yards rushing like week 2?

  2. Well, Zimmer isn’t wrong….

    Somehow I feel like the narrative will continued to be pushed by the media. “He might have won Monday night, but can he win a playoff game etc…..”

  3. Packers had a good game plan against Vikings offense last game as the DE’s stayed wide and attacked the play action roll outs. I’m not sure why, but no team has really duplicated that since. One thing is for sure, Stephanski will have a counter ready for it this time. And if Packers play their DEs wide, Vikings should have some success running inside, which will take a lot of pressure off a Cousins.

  4. Not sure what Monday night will bring but the last Vikings loss to the Packers can be laid squarely at the feet of Cousins with his Red Zone INT with the game on the line. Maybe the Vikings win Monday night, maybe not, but I can’t help but think keeping Teddy was the best move the Vikings never made.

  5. Cousins has played very well this year. Would love to put his arm strength into Kenum. Alas. KC can not scramble. He can bootleg but scrambling. Like a duck on ice skates.

  6. Monday night is about Aaron rodgers. Popcorn ready. “Rodgers he was found arguing with one of LaFleur’s assistants on the Packer sidelines late in the game.

    Wasn’t this one of the reasons that Mike McCarthey was fired? The running game wasn’t working and the pass offense had become predictable? A brand new playbook and against Chicago and Rodgers again could be seen shaking his head about his platoon of pass-catchers missing their marks.”

  7. IM hoping they extend him only if they reach the Super Bowl. This team was a Championship team before he got there. Win or lose the Super Bowl extend him Thats why they brought him here… If the guy chokes under pressure at the playoffs then he is what he is, a good qb

  8. What is the Viking home record on MNF? That’s more apropos than KC’s record, most of which was with a different team anyway, but we know how the media does media.

    Playoffs aren’t on Mondays anyway so how dumb to dwell on that. He has won Sun night games with MN each of last 2 years, so now where do we go…..

  9. I haven’t worried about Cousins in st least two months. It’s the secondary that will win or lose this game. If Rodgers throws for 2 tds, Vikes win. If he throws for 3-4, Vikes lose.

  10. Kirk Cousins could lead his team to a win Monday night, and go on a tear through the playoffs, lead his team to a Super Bowl victory, and the critics will still be nitpicking at him about something he’s doing wrong.

  11. What is the Viking home record on MNF? That’s more apropos than KC’s record, most of which was with the Redskins anyway, but we know how the media does media.

    Playoffs aren’t on Mondays anyway so how dumb to dwell on that. He has won Sun night games with MN each of last 2 years. This team is more about Zimmer and his ability, or lack of, to win big games, especially on the road.

  12. More Packer press : “It’s all been a function of a larger decline as well. While Rodgers has been a perfectly decent quarterback since October, he’s only thrown eight touchdown passes in his last six games. He’s averaging just 6.0 yards per attempt in that span, which would be the worst mark in the NFL if spread throughout an entire season. If he can’t reverse that trend — and he’s confident he can — Green Bay is going to be mostly toothless in the playoffs.”

  13. I still don’t quite understand, the Vikings are only 1 game behind the Packers in the NFC North standings, yet every publication and playoff scenario I see states that they have to make up the last 2 full games to overtake them.
    How is this possible???

  14. It’s less about a MNF win and more if the Vikings can even beat a team above .500 this year.

    They haven’t yet.

  15. Not only does Curt need a win on MNF, he needs to win against .500+, he needs to win in close situations and not choke, and he needs to win playoff games.

  16. Unlike the 2016 and ’17 Redskins, the Vikings do not ask or need Kirk to be the reason they win. Their offense goes through Dalvin Cook and their receivers are a big upgrade over the ‘Skins receivers at that time. Only Kirk can change the narrative about him. He has a shot.

  17. Cousins has played really well this year. Top 10 numbers and the team is all but in the playoffs. As is usually the case, those that have formed a conclusion on him as a lousy QB will keep moving the goal posts in order to continue criticizing. It’s weak and lazy but that is how analysis works in the age of Social Media.

  18. I think Cousins will play very well and the Vikings will win this game. Then the only thing the Packers will have over the Vikings is a tainted, scandalous, poorly officiated “win” over Detroit at home that gave them the division title. Congratulations.

  19. Has there ever been a QB playing at a Pro Bowl who gets this much crap and criticism?
    What is the motivation by the media to keep hammering him? He’s not an unlikable guy. I don’t get it.

    If you care look at the stats….he’s playing at a Top 5 level in the league this year.

    Compare Rodgers and Cousins seasons, it’s not even close….Cousins should be in the Pro Bowl.

  20. Cousins and the Vikings are 10-4 with a decent chance to go 12-4, right?!

    Based on the non-stop bashing of Cousins, I thought they were 2-12.

  21. Its going to be a tough game, as far things go a division rival on the road for GB, it isn’t going to bea gimme, and I would not be surprised at all if the Vikings win, but as far as Cousins being the best in the division, absolutely, he may have the “prettiest” numbers, but no one else is asked to do less in the division, even Plough is asked to test a defense deep.

    Cousins throws tons of screen plays, and didn’t through the ball more than 5 yards down field vs. Seattle til less than a minute to go in the first half. They treat him like the Seahawks treated Russell Wilson his rookie year, and thats fine and dandy and it works out, but when you pay him the kind of money Cousins is making, you need to be able to put more on his plate, and he needs to make players around him better not his teammates elevating his play.

  22. I don’t get why the Packer Koi fan fish can’t just sit back and let it all unfold for them? It’s like you all just can’t relax, float in the water and enjoy your teams well deserved wild card lock, soon to be NFC North champs, and at least one home playoff game. Instead you all swarm together with your mouths out of water snatching up any morsel of validation you can eat. Insecurity will eat you alive. Just R E L A X.

  23. I’m not a coach, nor do I think I know more than any coach or wannabe GM. In my opinion, you blitz the hell out of Rodgers and get him flustered. Giving Rodgers too much time will be bad on any defense. Rodgers controls the Packers in win and losses.

  24. I’m not a coach, nor do I think I know more than any coach or wannabe GM. In my opinion, you blitz the hell out of Rodgers and get him flustered. Giving Rodgers too much time will be bad on any defense. Rodgers controls the Packers in win and losses.

    That use to be a recipe for disaster. Now with the minimal weapons Rodgers has it would probably work as long as you dont leave him a lane to scramble.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to leave a comment. Not a member? Register now!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.