COUSINS TOPS BREES TO LEAD VIKINGS TO WIN
Much-maligned quarterback outplays surefire Hall-of-famer in wild card game
Yes, Kirk Cousins outplayed Drew Brees. Whether you like it or not.
That’s the main reason the Minnesota Vikings handed yet another crushing playoff loss to Brees, head coach Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints — this time in overtime, 26-20, in the first of two NFC wild card playoff games Sunday.
Nearly 30 minutes after the game ended, hundreds among the 73,038 fans at the Mercedes-benz Superdome still sat in their seats, stunned. Motionless. Gutted.
New Orleans at 13-3 was the NFC’S No. 3 seed, the Vikings at 10-6 were the No. 6 seed.
But not the crazy loud noise, the intimidating atmosphere, nor the presence of that record-setting, iconic quarterback on the other sideline fazed these Vikings one bit.
Especially their quarterback, Cousins, to whom Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer handed the first of two game balls in a rowdy, ridiculously tight-quartered visitors dressing room.
“You know, they say he (Cousins) cannot win a playoff game, but he’s only (started) in two,” Zimmer said. “So he is 50 per cent, which is better than a lot of people. I thought he played really well today. He took good care of the ball. He made good decisions when they had some heat on us.
“He has to go out and prove it again next week, like we all have to.”
Zimmer, Cousins and the Vikings advance to next week’s NFC divisional playoffs, and will travel to play the top-seeded San Francisco 49ers Saturday.
Seattle defeated Philadelphia Sunday and plays at No. 2 seed Green Bay next Sunday.
The Saints would have advanced to play in that game had they won, as nearly everyone expected. They were more than a touchdown favourite against Minnesota. But Brees again played surprisingly, well, not great — even bad at times — in another ruinous playoff loss.
Brees, who turns 41 on Jan. 15, made no promises about returning next season.
“I’m not making any comments on that,” he said, “other than I’ve told you guys this over the last couple of years: I’ve always just taken it one year at a time, and kind of re-evaluate each off-season, and find the things I want to get better at and move on.”
Against the Vikings, Brees over the first three quarters did complete 13-of-19 passes, but for just 79 yards. That’s woeful by Brees’ 19-year NFL standard. Little dinky passes, mostly, and often under intense pressure. The lauded Vikings pass rush was for real.
In contrast, Cousins played the top football of his eight-year pro career, at least in a game with so much importance. Cousins hit key passes time and again throughout this NFC wild-card game, but especially in the third quarter, when he for a stretch took over the game.
There were no better examples than two clutch, sensational completions on the touchdown drive that gave Minnesota a 20-10 lead with 3:23 left in the third.
But Brees found his composure and rhythm by the start of the fourth quarter and slowly the Saints marched back, eventually forcing overtime.
The Vikings won the crucial coin toss, elected to receive, and marched 75 yards for the winning touchdown in nine plays.
After hitting on two of his first three throws in the extra quarter, Cousins made the pass play of his life, finding Adam Thielen deep, beyond cornerback P.J. Williams for a 43-yard gain, down to the New Orleans two-yard-line.
Two Cook runs netted minustwo yards, but on 3rd-and-goal — against a zero-safety Saints blitz — Cousins quickly located and threw to ace tight end Kyle Rudolph, covered by Williams in the left side of the end zone.
Rudolph hauled it in for the win, as the Superdome instantly turned super quiet.
“There’s a whole lot of reasons we won the game,” Cousins said. “Does the quarterback play a role in that? Yes, but it was a team win.”
Other than a lost fumble by Thielen in the first minute, the Vikings were sound on offence, defence and special teams.
Meantime, the Saints offence looked lost on offence over much of the first three quarters.
“Tip your hats to Minnesota,” Saints head coach Sean Payton said. “They deserved to win.”
As for the Vikings, onward they go. If you think they don’t have much chance to beat the 49ers just six days after this big win, think again. Especially if Cousins plays like this again.
There’s a whole lot of reasons we won the game. Does the quarterback play a role in that? Yes, but it was a team win.