Kirk Cousins Was Already Bad But Now the Vikings Aren't Protecting Him

As soon as he signed his $84 million contract and strapped on the purple helmet for the first time, Kirk Cousins was exposed as a fraud. Yes, he maintained the accuracy and impressive box score numbers he piled up so frequently as a member of the Washington Redskins, but his struggles against winning teams and poor play in the clutch have knee-capped Mike Zimmer and Minnesota.

Cousins is a disappointment, sure, but the Vikings offensive line isn't even trying to give him a clean pocket, as he was pressured on three of every five dropbacks against the Green Bay Packers.

Kirk Cousins was under pressure for 60 percent of his dropbacks. Anything over 50 is pretty rare. I'd argue he didn't perform well in a clean pocket or under pressure so this doesn't absolve him or anything but it paints more of the picture
— Arif Hasan (@ArifHasanNFL) September 15, 2019

Maybe that's why the Vikings have decided to run the ball with Dalvin Cook a ton...

Cousins doesn't have Patrick Mahomes' arm or Lamar Jackson's escapability, so giving him time to operate is essential. Rookie center Garrett Bradbury is a nice find, but the Vikings are seeing minimal returns on their horrid offensive line despite investing plenty of draft capital into the position.

As a result, Cousins has shrunk when Minnesota has needed him the most.

So, what does 84 million get you in Minnesota? Game changing turnovers: Since he signed with the Vikings last offseason, Kirk Cousins has committed 9 turnovers in the 4th quarter, most in the NFL in that time span.
— trey wingo (@wingoz) September 16, 2019

The Vikings need plenty of upheaval on their offensive line or else Cousins really won't have any opportunities to help win (or perhaps mostly lose) games with his arm.