Cousins looking for some payback

DAVE CAMPBELL

MINNEAPOLIS— The Minnesota Vikings had moved into position for the go-ahead touchdown at Green Bay in the fourth quarter of their Week 2 meeting, with first-and-goal inside the 10-yard line.

Then one regrettable off-balance throw by Kirk Cousins thwarted their rally and seemingly threatened to cement his status as a so-so quarterback who couldn’t be counted on in the most crucial moments.

Cousins and the rest of the offence have made a recovery from the cringe-inducing decision and resulting end-zone interception that essentially sealed a 21-16 victory for the Packers. Finally, the Vikings have the opportunity to avenge that defeat when they host the rematch on Monday night. Having clinched at least a wildcard spot in the playoffs, the Vikings can also prevent their chief rivals from clinching the NFC North on their home turf.

In a testament to patience in this snap-judgment league, Cousins and his runners, blockers and receivers have performed well enough after an iffy September that scoring points and protecting the ball have become the least of Minnesota’s problems. They’ve definitely come a long way since that day in Green Bay.

“It’s hard going back and watching that tape. We’re so much better as a football team, so much better of an offence than we were,” tight end Kyle Rudolph said.

Cousins was picked off twice in that game while going 14 for 32 for the second-worst completion percentage of his career, as the Vikings fell to 21-0 in the second quarter. Two weeks later, they lost16-6 at Chicago with a season-low 222 total yards as Cousins was sacked six times.

In his fifth full season as a starter, Cousins still lacks a post-season win and has only a handful of victories on the road over winning teams. He has, however, begun this year to slay a few of those dragons with fourth-quarter comebacks, night-game victories and a significant reduction of turnovers.