EAGAN, Minn. — They call it a comeback, and they called Kirk Cousins' execution worthy of NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors, the NFL announced Wednesday morning.
Cousins threw for a career-high 460 yards and tied his personal best with four passing touchdowns, ending the day with a passer rating of 99.3 despite being sacked seven times by the Colts.
His 34 completed passes also were a season high as the Vikings rallied for a 39-36 overtime win after trailing 33-0 at halftime. The win was Minnesota's first against Indianapolis since 1997.
The splits provided such a contrast as Cousins and the Vikings bounced back from adversity.
Cousins in the first half: 6-for-12 passing, 43 yards, 1 INT, 24.0 passer rating
Cousins in the second half: 21-for-33, 330 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT, 123.7 passer rating
Cousins in overtime: 7-for-9, 87 yards, 106.9 passer rating
The yardage gives him 20,205 as a Viking and pushed him past Daunte Culpepper (20,162) for the third-most in team history.
Cousins also was nominated for FedEx Air Player of the Week, which will be decided by a fan vote.
The weather is getting colder, but Cousins has been heating up as he progresses in the first year of this offense under Head Coach Kevin O'Connell.
In his past four games, Cousins has thrown for a league-best 1,357 passing yards, the second-most passing touchdowns (10) and the fifth-best completion percentage (69.5 percent).
Cousins has thrown for more than 400 yards in a game eight times in his career, including five times as a Viking, the most such performances in franchise history.
The accolade marks Cousins' seventh NFC Offensive Player of the Week honor in his career and third as a Viking. He becomes the sixth player to win an NFC Player of the Week award under O'Connell, who has tied Dennis Green (1992) for the most honors under a first-year head coach in team history.
VIKINGS NAMED NFC PLAYER OF THE WEEK UNDER O'CONNELL
Week 4 vs. New Orleans in London: Greg Joseph, K (Special Teams)
Week 6 at Miami: Ryan Wright, P (Special Teams)
Week 8 vs. Arizona: Za'Darius Smith, OLB (Defensive)
Week 10 at Buffalo: Justin Jefferson, WR (Offensive)
Week 12 vs. New England: Kene Nwangwu, RB/KR (Special Teams)
Week 15 vs. Indianapolis: Kirk Cousins, QB (Offense)
