EXCLUSIVE: "Kirk Cousins is an upper echelon top third QB in the NFL" - Ex-Falcons HC Mike Smith praises Vikings star after win vs. Patriots
Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings bounced back from a 40-3 beatdown by the Dallas Cowboys in Week 11. They managed a hard-fought 33-26 win over the New England Patriots on Thanksgiving Day.
Cousins finished the game with 299 passing yards and three touchdowns and helped the Vikings keep pace with the 10-1 Philadelphia Eagles in the race to be the top seed in the NFC playoffs.
Former Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith joined host Reggie Roberts on Sportskeeda's BallFather podcast this week and raved about the Vikings and Kirk Cousins. Here's what he said:
"It was a great bounce-back game [for the Vikings] after the 40 to 3 beat down by the Cowboys the week before. Sometimes when you don't play well, the quarterback is much maligned. You know, Kirk Cousins, he's an upper echelon top third quarterback in the NFL."
Kirk Cousins benefitting from a change in head coach
Smith claimed that former Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer's offensive philosophy stifled Kirk Cousins. He believes new head coach Kevin O'Connell is unlocking the veteran quarterback's true potential:
"I think he takes a lot of heat and I think it's because of what happened the last couple of years with what [the Vikings] did offensively. And I think it was more schematic and what the [former] head coach [Mike Zimmer] wanted his team to look like and then what Kirk Cousins can do as a quarterback. You know he's free throwing now with the new head coach [Kevin O'Connell] up there, you know, he looks like a different guy, in my opinion."
In March 2018, Cousins signed a fully-guaranteed three-year, $84 million deal with the Vikings and became the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history at the time. Minnesota finished Cousins' debut season with an 8-7-1 record and missed the playoffs.
Smith believes the money and the Vikings' disappointing campaign formed a negative perception of Kirk Cousins. A perception he's finally shaking off under new head Kevin O'Connell this season:
"He's taken a lot of heat throughout his career. You know, he just happened to fall in one of the cycles where he was the highest-paid, you know, quarterback for that year. So the expectations were so high. You know, I think he's got the Vikings playing really strong football on the offensive side."
Through Week 12, Cousins ranks in the top 10 in passing yards and touchdown passes. The Vikings are 9-2 and could potentially win the NFC North title in Week 13 if they beat the New York Jets and the Detroit Lions get beaten by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
It's been a tremendous season so far for Cousins and the Vikings, who will be aiming to end the franchise's Super Bowl drought in February.
The latest episode of the BallFather podcast featuring former Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith will be out soon on YouTube