Kirk Cousins Saves Mike Zimmer Again

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Photo: @Vikings - Twitter

For the second week in a row, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins has saved his team, and most importantly, his head coach from the jaws of defeat.

In week 5, Cousins played Batman while Greg Joseph played Robin. After Mr. Conservative, Mike Zimmer, allowed the Lions to take the lead in a game they had no business winning, Kirk Cousins used 37 seconds and two timeouts to drive over nearly 50 yards to put Greg Joseph JUST BARELY in range to hit the game-winner.

But on Sunday of week 6, the Batman/Robin hero effort with less than a minute remaining wasn’t enough. I mean, Kirk did his job, using less than a minute to drive the Vikings’ offense down the field to within easy field goal range of Greg Joseph. But, week 5’s Robin failed him in week 6.

Overtime

Luckily, since the game was already tied, Minnesota got another chance and won the OT coin toss. And with the new rules that make an opening drive touchdown so important in OT, Mike Zimmer couldn’t afford to hold his offense back. So, Kirk Cousins and Klint Kubiak got the green light to be aggressive and go for the touchdown.

With Dalvin Cook playing the role of Robin this weekend, Kirk Batman Cousins methodically led the Vikings down the field. Throw after throw, dime after dime the QB who wears number 8 for the purple and gold was not going to be stopped.

Finally, with the Panthers defense wobbling like a street fighter character on the verge of defeat, Kirk Cousins finished them with a touchdown strike to KJ Osborne for the victory. That means the Vikings somehow head into the bye week somehow a 3-3 football team, despite their head coach’s best efforts to keep that from happening.

Mike Zimmer is the problem

How many close games does Mike Zimmer have to play in before he realizes that trying your best NOT TO LOSE no longer works in the NFL. You have to stomp and beat the shit out of other teams while you have them down and asking for mercy.

If you let anyone, even bad teams like Carolina and Detroit, hang around in this league, you will often live to regret it. It cost the Vikings games early on and it’s almost lead to two back-to-back heart-stomping defeats that had to be saved by Batman Kirk Cousins.

This week, Zimmer opted for a field goal on a VERY short 4th down and inches at the Panther 6-yard line, something that made no sense at the time. Then, after taking a 7-point lead late in the 3rd quarter, Zimmer and the Vikings had a chance to take a two-possession (9-point) lead with a two-point conversion. Of course, Mike opted for the extra-point and 8-point lead.

I immediately called for the Vikings to try for the two points after Thielen scored this ridiculous touchdown. Luckily for Zim, his stupid decision to kick the extra point didn’t come back to bite him this time.

Firework finish was avoidable

Had the Vikings gone for two and converted, Carolina wouldn’t have been able to tie with their last score, a 2-point conversion of their own. If the Vikings had failed to convert in that hypothetical scenario, then they’re still leading by 7 points and the Panthers likely kick an extra point to go to overtime, instead of needing their own two points.

Thanks to the QB he looked down upon for so long, Zimmer got away with bad coaching at the end of this game. Maybe that’s why he smiled this time, when Kirk embraced him after the win…

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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