NFL playoffs entrance survey: Kirk Cousins’ bling has blinded Vikings to their own flaws

The last time the Minnesota Vikings were in the playoffs, quarterback Case Keenum led an unlikely turnaround in relief of Sam Bradford. Half a decade later, Keenum's successor Kirk Cousins led the same team into a single elimination in high spirits.

While the team has plenty of reasons to be hyped about their chances at a Super Bowl, they also have reasons to brace for an early exit. Here's a look at both sides of the coin regarding Kirk Cousins and the team at large.

NFL playoffs picks: Why the Vikings are a good bet

As the third seed in the NFC, the team will get at least one home playoff game. This week, they face the New York Giants and quarterback Daniel Jones. The Giants haven't been to the playoffs since the Eli Manning era, and most of the players currently on the team have never been to the postseason.

Will Kirk Cousins reach his first Super Bowl appearance?

Meanwhile, Vikings sans Kirk Cousins has plenty of players that have played well into January before with players such as Harrison Smith and Adam Thielen. Head coach Kevin O'Connell has also been to the playoffs with Sean McVay, so this won't be his first rodeo.

Kirk Cousins is a better clutch quarterback than Patrick Mahomes and it’s not particularly close.

Let’s compare the numbers in the 4th quarter and overtime this season:

Cousins - 1400 yards, 13 TD, 3 INT

Mahomes - 1100 yards, 7 TD, 6 INT https://t.co/H6ggNa31yd

That is the theme of the NFC playoffs this year. Aside from Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the rest of the NFC is littered with quarterbacks that have never had playoff success. Sure, Dak Prescott has made it a few times, but he's never broken through and the franchise hasn't been able to win more than one playoff game since 1990s.

The 49ers are playing with a third-string quarterback who, as good as he's playing, has never felt the pressure of the NFL playoffs. Geno Smith has never tasted a playoff game either. The Philadelphia Eagles will be dealing with a quarterback that has also never played in the NFL playoffs.

In other words, the team is on an essentially even footing with everyone else in the conference.

Why the Vikings are a nasty bet

While many things are going for the Vikings in the 2022-23 NFL playoffs, their record this season shows plenty of weaknesses. Sure, at 13-4, the team has a great record at face value. However, one of their losses came against the one-seed Eagles and it wasn't close. The team lost 24-7, making a rematch an outcome Minnesota wants to avoid.

Additionally, the majority of the team's wins come within one possession. Meaning that while the team was clutch, it needed to be that for much of the season. There's only so many times a ball or a call can go someone's way. Eventually, the other shoe will drop. As such, odds are high that over the next couple of weeks, the team could slip up and get knocked out of the playoffs.

Had the Vikings blown out teams regularly, they could have "saved their luck" and their mental strength for the playoffs. Instead, they've played out more stressful situations and thus have less mental willpower in reserve. In particular, the comeback win over the Indianapolis Colts looms large in this regard.

🗣️ New to the Pro Football Hall of Fame

The jersey that @KirkCousins8 was wearing in Week 15, when he helped lead the @Vikings to the largest comeback in NFL history, by winning 39-36 after trailing 33-0 at halftime.

📹 @nflnetwork twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/3fjWbzbCpU

If the Vikings fall back down by a wide margin, the team will not be able to muster a comeback once again. That is another stain on Kirk Cousins' resume this season.

The quarterback has lost by multiple points in each of his four losses. In particular, the 40-3 loss against the Cowboys and the 41-17 loss against the Green Bay Packers looms large.

Considering the worst losses of the season are both the most recent ones, fans should be worried. Of course, there's a great chance that they will play the Cowboys, Eagles or Tom Brady. If the Vikings can avoid these opponents, then they have as good of a shot as anyone. However, odds are high that Cousins will need to beat at least one of these opponents just to get to the Super Bowl.