MINNEAPOLIS – Kirk Cousins ​​wanted to hit Adam Thielen on a fast track. Seeing his wide receiver make his move, the Minnesota Vikings quarterback straightened his arm to throw and began to advance the ball. But immediately after, he located the cornerback and realized that the Packers defender had not played the road as he expected.

When he threw the ball, Cousins ​​would either lead Thielen into a situation where he would have equalized, or worse, his pass would have been intercepted. So, he reengaged, as he likes to call him. The cousins ​​recovered the ball, reset, pivoted and hit striker Kyle Rudolph for 11 yards and a first try.

Disaster avoided. The chains have moved. Hope preserved.

The play – one of the many key sequences in Minnesota's 24-17 win over NFC North's rival Green Bay on Sunday night – was exactly the cold-blooded display of execution that the Vikings needed from of their quarter. This was the kind of game that the Cousins ​​had introduced too rarely during a nasty defeat against Chicago a week earlier. But this Sunday night play, and many others, reflected one of the important points of the offensive coordinator, John DeFilippo, was transferred to his quarterback throughout the week of testing.

"When you hold the ball in your hands," said Cousins, transmitting a message of the week, "you are the livelihood of many people in this building and their families. Repeatedly, the safety of the ball is the safety of the job – yours and mine. "

Message received. The cousins ​​rebounded after the Chicago debacle and offered the kind of performance the Vikings sought when they granted him a three-year, fully guaranteed contract at $ 84 million in the spring. He completed 29 attempts on 38 passes for a total of 342 yards and three touchdowns. More importantly, the Cousins ​​did not return the ball. As a result, the Vikings won a much needed victory over the Packers to improve their score to 6-4-1 and stay in contention for a Wild Card position.

Thanks to his performance, Cousins ​​calmed critics who spent the week questioning his abilities and determining whether the Vikings had made a mistake by awarding him a contract of such richness. For the moment at least.

But Cousins ​​also delivered the kind of performance that his teammates and coaches expected from him.

"You know how the media are," said Stefon Diggs, the receiver receiver in a post-game scrum. "When you play very well, they build you. If anything happens, they will demolish you, but we have 100% of that type. He has proven why he is as good as we say. We are behind him all the way. "

Diggs, who has eight catches for 77 yards and a touchdown, was not isolated in his assessment and statement of support. Compatriots Thielen and Aldrick Robinson, left-hand guard Tom Compton, forward Kyle Rudolph and coach Mike Zimmer all echoed Diggs.

The stellar game of the Cousins ​​did not surprise them because they see how hard he works behind the scenes.

He was no stranger to criticism because of his stay in Washington, where every decision of rejection, erroneous decision and contractual decision was met with scrutiny. Cousins ​​did not flinch like the heads and fans who announced spring the missing link and suddenly expressed reservations about his abilities. and is worth it.

He's trained not to listen to critics. He also trained in self-screening and consistency of his approach.

The Cousins ​​went back to work after the defeat against the Bears, who had the same goals and the same concentration.

"He takes every game pretty personally and very seriously. "He's the same guy every day," TODAY Sports Compton, a teammate and friend of the Cousins, told USA TODAY Sports since their rookie season in Washington in 2012. "He's not really – if he's frustrated – he really does not hurt anyone. He is just intense and wants to win so bad, so every detail counts. "

Robinson, another player recruited by Washington in 2012 and now reunited with Minnesota Cousins, told USA TODAY Sports: "When he wants something in a certain way, he wants it from this way. This intensity to get things right goes out. He is very specific about how he wants things and how he wants things to work. "

This means that one or two additional receivers are needed to join him in the post-training exercises, as Cousins ​​tries to improve his timing or accuracy during difficult shots. It also means conversations with teammates and coaches about breakdowns, as well as additional filming sessions.

All the extra work gives the Vikings the assurance that the Cousins ​​will succeed in this business. This nurtures the belief of the Vikings that even if they are 6-4-1 and may not catch Chicago (8-3) for the division title, their ultimate goal of fighting for a Super Bowl remains possible.

"He (bounces) because he's getting ready for the worst of scenarios and that he knows everything is not going perfectly well, so he's also playing football," Diggs told USA's TODAY Sports. "He is not here to make a robot. He knows the guys are trying to open up outside and do their job, so he plays football. He's just a baller. "

A joint discussion in the Vikings quarter-room implies the importance of responding positively to the unexpected.

"What are you going to do if (the game called) is not there? What is your exit strategy? Explained Cousins. "Is it for running, will it progress?" Is it to find a point of sale? So, often, our games are designed for some covers and we spend time saying that if we do not get that coverage, what are you going to do? It takes time and you accumulate this inventory of experiences and you start to know where all the bones are buried in these games, as the coach (Kevin) Stefanski says, then you can not be fooled so be ready for the difficult scenarios that fall on you. Just about everyone can handle easy appearances, but you have to be awesome when you have a hard look. "

Cousins ​​and the Vikings firmly believe that he is acting as he said: accumulating experiences in order to exploit them, avoid repetition of games and disasters and obtain positive results. This is a must. Because, faced with formidable opponents like New England, Seattle and Chicago, the Vikings need the Cousins ​​to stay calm under pressure and make a pass as he did against Green Bay, but on a constant.

Follow Mike Jones from USA TODAY Sports on Twitter @ByMikeJones.

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