Kirk Cousins struggles, Daniel Jones benched (we told you)
Mark Eckel give us his look back at NFL Week 11
Facts Are Facts: Do They Show Kirk Cousins is Overrated?
Throughout the years I’ve often referred to quarterback Kirk Cousins as not just overrated, but the most overpaid player in NFL history.
People, including those close to Cousins, have called me everything from “a hater’’ to “an idiot.’’ Well, here’s all you need to know about Cousins, who after robbing the Minnesota Vikings blind for six years, is now stealing from the Atlanta Falcons.
Sure Cousins puts up some pretty numbers, which likely makes him a good fantasy player. I wouldn’t know. I don’t play fantasy football, since none of my fantasies include football.
In real football here are the facts.
The season before the Vikings signed Cousins to a three-year, $84 million fully guaranteed contract they went 13-3 and made it to the NFC Championship Game. The thought in Minnesota was nothing less than a Super Bowl with Cousins replacing journeyman Case Keenum at quarterback.
That’s not quite what happened.
Vikings Spent a lot on Kirk Cousins for One Playoff Win
In the six years Cousins played for the Vikings, the team didn’t sniff the NFC Championship Game.
Let alone the Super Bowl.
Minnesota went 8-7-1 Cousins’ first year. One of the four times in six years it missed the playoffs. The two playoff seasons, 2019 and 2022, ended with a loss in the second round and a loss in the wild-card round. That second loss came at the hands of the Giants and now-benched Daniel Jones.
All totaled the Vikings spent close to $200 million to go 53-45-1 with Cousins and 1-2 in playoff games.
So now Kirk Cousins is in Atlanta after signing a four-year, $180 million deal with close to $100 million guaranteed this past offseason.
The Falcons, picked by nearly everyone to easily win the awful NFC South, are in first place at a mediocre 6-5 and just got blown out by Denver and rookie QB Bo Nix, Sunday.
And the Vikings?
In their first post-Cousins season, they are 8-3 and leading the NFC wild-card chase with retread Sam Darnold at quarterback.
And I’m the idiot?
Read All About It
If you read rantsports.com on a regular basis (and if you don’t you should) you knew a week ago the Giants were going to bench Daniel Jones because of his contract situation.
Jones has a clause in his contract. If he were to suffer a season-ending injury the, Giants would be on the hook for $23 million next year. Can’t get hurt if you don’t play. So Jones is benched now and will be gone at the end of the season minus that $23 million.
Deja Vu in Reverse
The Green Bay Packers extended their winning streak over the Chicago Bears to 11 games. Karl Brooks blocked a field-goal attempt on the final play to allow the Packers to escape with a 20-19 win.
In 1999, 25 long years ago, the Bears blocked a Packers field goal attempt on the game’s final play to end a 10-game losing streak to the Packers.
Nothing Plus Nothing
Chicago rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall pick of this past draft, put his name in the record books with an odd stat.
Williams, in the loss to Green Bay, Sunday, became the first quarterback to ever have four games in one season with 20, or more, pass attempts and no touchdowns or interceptions.
Payton’s Place
Sean Payton made his name as the head coach with the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South.
Payton is the head coach of the Denver Broncos (AFC West) now, but his success against his old division continued.
With the win over the Falcons, Sunday, Payton and the Broncos competed a 4-0 sweep of the NFC South. And none of the four games were close. Denver outscored the South, 125-37 in the four games.
