Quarterback Kirk Cousins' tenure with the Minnesota Vikings has been, overall, a mixed bag. The Vikings have only made the postseason once over Cousins' past four seasons as Minnesota's QB1. Still, with elite offensive weapons such as Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook still in town to go along with strong defensive options such as Danielle Hunter, the Vikings still had a strong enough roster to make some noise for the 2022-23 season.

But they have surpassed all expectations with a 12-3 record entering their Week 17 clash against the Green Bay Packers, thanks in large part to Kirk Cousins' continued elite play. And Justin Jefferson wants the rest of the league to acknowledge just how well the 34-year old has played in spite of all the doubts thrown his way.

Posting on his official Twitter account, Jefferson responded to a take made by former Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder saying that the Vikings' weaknesses are “on Cousins' shoulders”. In the process, Jefferson pled his MVP case for his quarterback teammate.

“All of the Kirk criticism has to stop!! I understand y’all hate the dad swag but come on his numbers are right with y’all’s MVP candidates,” Jefferson wrote.

Of course Justin Jefferson will have Kirk Cousins' back. After all, Jefferson leads all NFL wide receivers in total receptions and yards, stamping his class yet again as the league's premier wideout. However, despite Cousins' Pro Bowl-caliber play that makes him worthy of MVP consideration, he still may be a notch below the true MVP candidates.

Still, it's difficult to envision the Vikings being as good as they've been this season without Cousins playing as well as he's done. Cousins will now have to show that he can lead a team deeper than the second round of the postseason like he did in 2020.