Cousins Comeback: Would he revitalize the…

The Minnesota Vikings are sitting at a surprising 6-2 record halfway through the 2024 season. Their defense has been the catalyst behind the strong start, scoring three touchdowns. Yet Sam Darnold has been the main storyline.

Darnold has played the same number of games as Kirk Cousins in 2023 before he tore his Achilles at Lambeau Field in Week 8, ending his season and tenure in Minnesota. At this point, it’s impossible not to compare the two quarterbacks. Cousins has looked great in Atlanta, leading the Falcons to a 6-3 record and sitting atop the NFC South.

Because of this, many wonder what the Vikings would look like if they still had Cousins. Coupled with some of Darnold’s head-scratching interceptions, it’s natural to imagine how strong this Vikings team could look with Cousins. However, Darnold’s performance this year may not be as far off from Cousins’ 2023 performance as expected.

Cousins was averaging nearly 40 more passing yards per game than Darnold, but the Vikings haven’t asked Darnold to throw quite as often this year. This has produced both good and bad results.

Darnold has a 7.6 TD% this season, 1.8 points higher than Cousins in 2023. But Darnold has also thrown more interceptions in fewer attempts, resulting in a 3.1 INT%, almost twice as high as Cousins’ mark of 1.6%.

Overall, the two quarterbacks have completed the same percentage of their passes. This helps give them each cumulative passer ratings over 100, with Cousins at 103.8 and Darnold at 107.8. Cousins’ worst game was a two-TD, two-INT performance against the Panthers, resulting in a passer rating of 80.7.

Darnold’s worst game of 2024 was the London game against the Jets, a zero-TD, one-INT game that resulted in a season-low passer rating of 50.3. Altogether, both quarterbacks align similarly here.

Cousins was averaging nearly 40 more passing yards per game than Darnold, but the Vikings haven’t asked Darnold to throw quite as often this year. This has produced both good and bad results.

Darnold has a 7.6 TD% this season, 1.8 points higher than Cousins in 2023. But Darnold has also thrown more interceptions in fewer attempts, resulting in a 3.1 INT%, almost twice as high as Cousins’ mark of 1.6%.

Overall, the two quarterbacks have completed the same percentage of their passes. This helps give them each cumulative passer ratings over 100, with Cousins at 103.8 and Darnold at 107.8. Cousins’ worst game was a two-TD, two-INT performance against the Panthers, resulting in a passer rating of 80.7.

Darnold’s worst game of 2024 was the London game against the Jets, a zero-TD, one-INT game that resulted in a season-low passer rating of 50.3. Altogether, both quarterbacks align similarly here.