Kirk Cousins may be one of the most criticized players in all sports. Whether it’s your record in prime time games or your inability to beat teams with winning records, fans and the media love to examine your game.
Despite consistently presenting statistics that suggest he is a good or even great quarterback, people still like to dissect and decompose his game. Even a player like Matthew Stafford, a quarterback that Cousins leads in almost every category, receives much more love.
Recently, Deion Sanders shot Cousins, saying, “I know this game … I’m not crazy about your quarterback”, when talking to newcomer Justin Jefferson in an episode of Versuz, a web series where players debate with each other others who are better.
Well, Jefferson is fed up with the slander of the Cousins. He defended his quarterback on his appearance on Jim Rome earlier this week.
“He definitely can handle a lot of heat. He can take more heat than he really deserves. Jefferson said. “If you look at the numbers, he’s the best. He has done a lot for this team and this attack. I really don’t understand why he gets so much criticism.
“All those losses that we had were not due to him. Of course, we would like to do some reproductions and redo some, but that’s the way it is. You don’t play perfectly, especially in this league, and to see the things he’s been doing, I really don’t know why he gets so much criticism. He’s the reason why I had 1,400 yards. “
These statements come after a season in which Cousins struggled to continue for the first two weeks and posted atrocious figures before the week of farewell. Jefferson was the brightest point in the attack, totaling 1,400 yards and breaking the franchise’s newbie receiving record and the NFL’s newbie receiving record. He became a trusted target and it was evident that Cousins and Jefferson built a relationship over the course of the season.
His defense of Cousins comes at an interesting time. After Matthew Stafford’s switch earned Lions two choices in the first round, fans theorized that Cousins could be on his way to the San Francisco 49ers, potentially leaving the Vikings out of his contract.
Although Cousins is far from a perfect defender, he has provided stability as a defender for the past three seasons, something the Vikings have lacked in the past.
He has averaged 25 pass touchdowns in the past five seasons and is the second most accurate defender in that period, completing 68% of his passes. He even dispelled some of the myths that he was “unobstructed” after winning a playoff game in New Orleans last season and winning his first Monday Night Football game against the Chicago Bears.
Despite taking a step in the right direction, the fact is that after hiring him to be the final piece of the puzzle, they did not return to the NFC championship and lost the playoffs in two of their three seasons.