For all of the talk that Kirk Cousins had such a disappointing first season with the Minnesota Vikings, his numbers certainly didn't reflect it.
As a matter of fact, Cousins was one of the best third-down passes in the league this past season, as Pro Football Focus has him ranked fifth in adjusted completion rate on third downs.
Kirk Cousins was fifth-best on 3rd downs with a 75.2% adjusted completion rate in 2018. pic.twitter.com/METasFngHm
— PFF (@PFF) June 24, 2019
That falls right in line with Cousins' numbers overall, as he threw for 4,298 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions while completing 70.1 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 99.7.
Cousins signed a massive three-year, $84 million contract with the Vikings last year following a 2017 campaign in which Minnesota won 13 games and made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game.
Article Continues BelowSo, naturally, expectations for the Vikings were high, and when Minnesota went just 8-7-1 and missed the playoffs this past year, blame immediately fell on the shoulders of Cousins, even though he didn't necessarily deserve it.
The 30-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Michigan State, was originally selected by the Washington Redskins in the fourth round (102nd pick overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft.
He took over as the Redskins' full-time starter in 2015 and led the league in completion percentage that season. Then, the following year, Cousins made the Pro Bowl after throwing for 4,917 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 12 picks while completing 67 percent of his passes and registering a passer rating of 97.2.
Cousins then spent one more year under center for Washington in 2017, finishing with 4,093 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions while completing 64.3 percent of his throws and recording a passer rating of 93.9.