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The Minnesota Vikings probably don't want to hear their star wide receiver taking shots at their starting quarterback. But, after Sunday's 16-6 loss to the Chicago Bears, that's precisely what Adam Thielen did to Kirk Cousins.
Thielen subtly expressed his frustration with the quarterback after gaining just 222 yards as an offensive unit.
“At some point, you're not going to be able to run the ball for 180 yards, even with the best running back in the NFL,” Thielen said, per The Athletic's Chad Graff. “That's when you have to be able to throw the ball. … You have to be able to hit the deep balls.”
$28 million doesn't buy what it used to.
Cousins signed with the Vikings in 2018 — for the annual price of $28 million, all guaranteed — to be Minnesota's, and subsequently Thielen's savior. The problem: that hasn't happened.
After disappointing in 2018, the Vikings have gone away with their pass-heavy approach in favor of a run-heavy one. While the run-game has worked, Minnesota is having trouble getting away from it when needed, in large because Cousins is struggling. Through four games, he has thrown for 735 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions on a 64.6% completion rate.
The Bears stopped the Vikings run-game on Sunday, and it forced Cousins to pass. That didn't work particularly well, as though Cousins threw for 233 yards and no interceptions, he averaged 6.5 yards per attempt and hit no touchdowns. His poor performance eventually spawned the comments from Thielen.
At 2-2, the Vikings and Cousins need to figure out how to maintain consistency in the passing game. If not, Minnesota could be staring down the barrel of another wasted season with Cousins at the helm.
