Kirk Cousins has a pretty good idea about what to expect when he returns to his old home venue.
Cousins played for six seasons with the Minnesota Vikings before he departed as a free agent in March to sign with the Atlanta Falcons. Now, the former Minnesota fan favorite will wear the opposing colors when the Falcons (6-6) kick off against the Vikings (10-2) on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis.
Does he think the crowd will be hostile or supportive toward him?
“They’re great football fans,” Cousins said with a smile. “I would think, as a result, they’ll make it as hostile as they can for us. It’s a great fanbase.”
Cousins and the Falcons could use a great performance.
Atlanta is mired in a three-game skid after road losses against the New Orleans Saints and the Denver Broncos and a home defeat against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Falcons have fallen into a tie with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the top spot in the underwhelming NFC South.
Cousins also is looking to bounce back individually after one of the worst performances of his career. Against the Chargers last week, he had no touchdown tosses and four interceptions while posting a paltry 40.0 passer rating.
Now comes a test against the Vikings, who have won five games in a row and sit one game behind the Detroit Lions for first place in the NFC North. Minnesota has not missed a beat since Cousins’ exit, with journeyman quarterback Sam Darnold finding success under coach Kevin O’Connell and the defense thriving under coordinator Brian Flores’ aggressive style.
Four of the Vikings’ past five wins came by single digits. Minnesota beat the Chicago Bears in overtime two weeks ago, and the Vikings rallied for a 23-22 win over the Arizona Cardinals last week.
Darnold has thrown for 2,952 yards, 23 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, and he has posted a 102.5 passer rating on the season. His top target, Justin Jefferson, exceeded the 1,000-yard mark for the fifth consecutive season last week and has hauled in five touchdown passes this year.
By comparison, Cousins has thrown for 3,052 yards, 17 touchdowns and a league-high 13 interceptions. He has a 90.8 passer rating on the season.
Bijan Robinson is a playmaking threat out of the Atlanta backfield with 1,277 yards from scrimmage (885 rushing, 392 receiving) to go along with eight touchdowns (seven rushing, one receiving). Drake London leads the Falcons with 796 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 70 catches.
On defense, the Falcons have struggled to rush the passer. Arnold Ebiketie leads the team with three sacks, and Atlanta has 15 sacks through 12 games.
By comparison, the Vikings have 39 sacks — including a team-high 10 from Jonathan Greenard, nine from Andrew Van Ginkel and seven from Patrick Jones II.
The Vikings’ secondary also has enjoyed a strong campaign, led by five interceptions from cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. Last week, fellow cornerback Shaquill Griffin sealed the win for Minnesota when he picked off Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray late in the fourth quarter.
A host on the Vikings’ flagship radio station asked Griffin how he will feel seeing Cousins playing for the Falcons.
“How will I feel?” Griffin said. “If he throws me the ball, I’ll feel great.
“I think that’s what I’ll be looking for in this game. If it’s not me, throw it to somebody. It can be me or maybe Byron Murphy again or maybe Harrison Smith, that would be really nice. Maybe Cam Bynum or maybe (Josh) Metellus. Just throw it to somebody on defense and I’ll be fairly, fairly happy.”
Cousins said he always has found a way through adversity and he would do so again.
“It’s just kind of been a deal where, this league and football and my journey, it always kicks you down and you’ve got to find a way to get back up,” he said. “I find myself there again. I wish I could say I wasn’t in that spot, but I find myself there again.
“I have to believe that tough times don’t last, tough people do, and just keep going and pushing.”
