Vikings need Kirk Cousins to step up in Week 5

The Minnesota Vikings need a win on Sunday. It’s on Kirk Cousins.

While the NFL is filled with weird games and surprising outcomes, the Vikings should win this week against the New York Giants. Minnesota is vastly superior on both sides of the ball. It also has a pair of top-end receivers in Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen. Unfortunately, neither is seeing much of the football these days.

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Despite a terrific rushing attack, Kirk Cousins hasn’t been able to move the offense consistently through the air. The veteran signal-caller has struggled mightily through the season’s first four weeks, completing 64.6 percent of his throws for 735 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.

The result is a 2-2 start in the loaded NFC North, putting the Vikings in last place. After Sunday’s 16-6 loss to the Chicago Bears, Thielen sounded off on the team’s lack of a passing attack. On Tuesday, Cousins went on KFAN in Minnesota and spoke to the subject, per NFL.com.

“I really want to apologize to [Thielen] because there’s too many opportunities where we could have hit him on Sunday. Postgame when I talk to the media I always say, ‘Hey, until I watch the film, it’s hard for me to really give you a straight answer.’ Well, now it’s Tuesday night. I’ve watched the film and the reality is there were opportunities for [Thielen].

“The one that’s most obvious is the third-and-10 at the beginning of the game. We’re near midfield. That’s arguably seven points. If you put the ball where it needs to be, he’s shown … that he will make that play and he’ll probably finish the play in the end zone and pull away from the defender.”

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With the Giants on deck, Minnesota must figure out a way to get things cooking. Thielen and Diggs should eat all day long against a New York secondary without a single upper-tier player on the roster. Head coach Mike Zimmer might be tempted to stick with his ground game considering the exploits of Dalvin Cook this season, but it’s also the perfect week to get Cousins going. If not now, when?

Minnesota’s remaining schedule is rough. The Green Bay Packers loom again, as do the Bears. There are still two games with the suddenly tough Detroit Lions, alongside matchups with the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers.

If the Vikings want to reach the playoffs and be dangerous in them, it’s time for their quarterback to step up.