Kirk Cousins appeared to have finally evolved into the franchise quarterback the Minnesota Vikings were hoping for in 2019. In 15 games played, he completed 69.1 percent of his passes for 3,603 yards, 26 touchdowns and just six interceptions. Additionally, he led the Vikings to an overtime playoff win against the New Orleans Saints on the road, which flipped the narrative about him not being clutch or failing to show up when it mattered most.
Cousins currently has the Vikings at 6-6, but his play has been impressive. After starting 1-5, Minnesota has won five out of its last six games and is squarely in the playoff hunt. While running back Dalvin Cook is having a career year, Cousins' consistency has also been a big part of the Vikings' offensive success. According to Pro Football Focus, Cousins is the highest-graded red-zone quarterback with a 92.1. That's almost two full points better than Aaron Rodgers (90.7) and Russell Wilson (90.2).
Despite the fact that some will claim Cousins is not "elite" or just can't win the "big game," he's been one of the most consistent quarterbacks in the NFL. In fact, there's even a stat that proves he's been the most consistent quarterback over the past six seasons.
Believe it or not, Cousins is actually the only quarterback in the NFL who has thrown for at least 3,000 yards and 25 touchdowns in each of the last six seasons.
Several other quarterbacks have come close, but the issue of durability obviously played a major role in this eye-opening stat. For example, Rodgers would have matched Cousins' consistency, but he broke his collarbone in 2017 and played in just seven games. As for Tom Brady, he just missed the cut by passing for only 24 touchdowns during his last season with the New England Patriots. If you were thinking about Wilson, he has actually failed to throw 25 touchdowns in a season twice during his NFL career, even though he has never missed a game.
Cousins' production may look a little different from week to week, but in the grand scheme of things, he's actually the most consistent quarterback we have seen play over the last six years.
