Kirk Cousins is fitting in perfectly in Minnesota.
The Vikings quarterback has his team off to a 1-0-1 start in 2018, and has thrown for 669 yards with six touchdowns and just one interception through the first two games. That yardage is the most by a Vikings quarterback in the first two games of a season, and the six scores rank second all-time to Joe Kapp.
But Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report believes there could be even bigger things ahead.
Freeman recently wrote that he thinks Cousins' career is **about to take off** now that is he on a team that is filled with plenty of talent.
Freeman wrote while Cousins enjoyed some success as the starter for three seasons in Washington, he has never had a supporting cast like he does with the Vikings.
In the right system, on the right team, many of those coaches thought Cousins could be a star.
Yes, an Aaron Rodgers-Tom Brady-Al Pacino-type star.
Kirk Cousins.
They may not have been wrong. Through the season's first two weeks, Cousins has a 108.7 passer rating, ranks fifth in passing yards, third in touchdown passes, has nine plays of at least 20 yards and has the Vikings 1-0-1 with the league's 10th-best scoring output. As one AFC East assistant coach told me this week: "You see what happens when you put him in a real organization with all-around good players. He could tear our league apart."
Freeman pointed to this past Sunday's game against the Packers as a barometer of what Cousins could be on a weekly basis.
We saw a glimpse of that star potential in the Vikings 29-29 tie with the Packers on Sunday. Cousins stood toe-to-toe with Rodgers (an injured Rodgers, but still...) at Lambeau Field. He threw for 425 yards, four touchdowns, a two-point conversion and just one pick.
He also made one of the best touch passes you will ever see, throwing it between two Packers defenders, while he got blasted.
Cousins helped the Vikings rally from a double-digit fourth quarter deficit to eventually force overtime. That led to a 29-29 tie, the third stalemate in Border Battle history.
Cronin: Don't fret about Vikings running game
Cousins and the Vikings have been red-hot in the passing game, but Minnesota has some improvements to make in the running game.
Courtney Cronin of ESPN wrote she believes the Vikings slow start on the ground is a "mirage" and that Minnesota's stable of backs will turn it around soon.
Dalvin Cook has 26 attempts for 78 yards while Latavius Murray has 61 yards on 15 attempts. Neither player has found the end zone, yet.
Cronin wrote:
With the return of Dalvin Cook, there were expectations that the Vikings would explode immediately in the running game, but they rank 22nd through two weeks with 92 yards per game. Fortunately, there's little to be worried about. Even as San Francisco sat eight defenders in the box regularly, Cook looked good on 16 carries for 40 yards in Week 1 and was actively involved in the passing game. Against Green Bay, Minnesota had a handful of big runs called back because of penalties. When it got down 20-7, Kirk Cousins had to throw the ball to get his team back in the game. The offensive line's struggles also haven't been great for run blocking, but this aspect of the Vikings' offense shouldn't be a concern going forward.
Cook ran for 354 yards and two scores in three-plus games in 2017 before tearing his ACL. Murray led the Vikings with 842 yards and eight scores in 2017.
