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MINNEAPOLIS – After the Minnesota Vikings claimed their first victory of the season with a 30-17 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, coach Mike Zimmer made a substantial statement about his team’s offense.
“I told the team it was the best offensive performance I’ve seen in the eight years I’ve been here,” Zimmer said. “Kirk (Cousins) played exceptionally well. I thought (Alexander) Mattison directed the ball well, the offensive line blocked well. Tight ends, the receivers blocked well in the running game but also in the game. Very, very proud of the way they played today. “
Zimmer’s comments came on a day the Vikings (1-2) were without star running back Dalvin Cook due to an ankle injury. In Cook’s place, third-year fullback Mattison hit 112 rushing yards, his second career 100-yard outing (the other also came against Seattle, in 2020), and added 59 receiving yards.
Mattison said he found out “earlier than everyone else” that Cook would not be able to play in week 3 and that he had to prepare his body differently throughout the week for a peak in. the training repetitions of the first team and the 32 touches he represented on Sunday.
But perhaps the most impressive part of Minnesota’s turnaround was Cousins’ play, whose eight zero-steal touchdown passes and 73.9% completion percentage was the best start to three games of his career. .
“It was a different Kirk,” said wide receiver Adam Thielen. “He’s just locked up and on time, he trusts him. I think a big part of that is our O line and the way they block out and give him enough time to sit down and do his readings. “
Cousins scored 30 of 38 for 323 yards and three touchdowns with a 128.4 passer rating against Seattle. For a second straight week, the quarterback threw three touchdown passes in the first half, and he now has 13 touchdowns and zero interceptions in the first halves of his last 10 games.
According to Elias Sports Bureau, Cousins’ 200 uninterrupted pass attempts are a little less than the Vikings franchise record of 201, which he set in 2019. He is the ninth quarterback in history. the NFL with 14 or more touchdowns and no interceptions in a five-game regular season and the first to achieve that feat since the year Lamar Jackson won the MVP title in 2019.
Despite losses in Cincinnati and Arizona, Cousins had the Vikings in a position to score victories in straight weeks. A fumble from Cook in overtime allowed the Bengals to come back and score a winning basket, and kicker Greg Joseph was wide on the right on a 37-yard attempt in week two.
Against the Seahawks, Cousins succeeded and kept the offense on the field for almost 36 minutes as the team converted 9 of 14 third down attempts. The Cousins’ 918 passing yards are the third most in the first three games of the season by any quarterback in franchise history.
“I think he’s playing exceptionally,” Zimmer said. “But not only that, he’s playing with a lot of confidence. I really appreciate the leadership he’s been showing lately. It’s been so much better, something he wanted to work on. He did a great job with it. . He’s very confident where he throws the ball. He’s very confident with those receivers. I think the offensive line has helped him do some of those things as well. “
That confidence in his receivers manifested in the form of Justin Jefferson capturing nine passes for 118 yards and a touchdown and Cousins throwing a 15-yard pass to KJ Osborn while battling a Seattle blitz – a kick-start shot. evidence that was talking about the availability of post-match media.
“It was an amazing game, because he was going to be rocked, and he knew it,” Zimmer said.
Discussions of Cousins ’leadership differences in his fourth season in Minnesota have been routine throughout the Vikings’ start to the season.
What could these changes in the quarterback boil down to?
“He’s got a bit more booty this year actually,” Mattison said. “Being around Jet (Jefferson) in the locker room, the lockers are kinda upside down. He’s got a bit more loot. He’s one of those playmakers, he’s always been. to step up further development in his craft and make everyone around him a better place A big credit to Kirk for the way he played today and the way he has led us.
“Some of the things he says, it’s kinda funny coming from him. He’s definitely opened up a bit and it’s great to see. Even how he runs and scrambles, it’s a little different from what it is. ‘he was before. He’s just taking the reins and he’s an incredible leader. “
And while his teammates praised him for his leadership and demeanor, Cousins defines his “swag” differently from those around him.
“(Former Washington Offensive Coordinator) Kyle Shanahan used to say my loot didn’t have loot,” Cousins joked. “He told me as a rookie to never change. When I went out for my first preseason game he said my jersey looked so big it looked like I was wearing a suit Somebody said something about ‘You should have a different face mask and a better swimsuit and this or that, wear your different socks,’ and Kyle cut it off and said, ‘No, her booty has no booty. I like her that way. I laugh because there is a hint of truth in the joke. “
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