5 reasons Vikings can win the Super Bowl this year

3. Kirk Cousins is better than people think

The only way Cousins is ever going to truly silence his critics is to pilot his team to a Super Bowl title. Until then, the debate will rage on as to whether or not he’s really an elite quarterback.

The answer to that question is almost certainly no. Cousins isn’t good enough to be mentioned in the same breath with guys like Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady. That doesn’t mean he isn’t a quality starter at the game’s most important position.

He did, after all, throw for over 3,600 last season with a completion percentage of over 69 percent. He’s not a player who can elevate his supporting cast, but he can make almost every throw required of a top-notch NFL signal-caller. Plenty of teams around the league would love to start a quarterback of Cousins’ caliber on a weekly basis.

The key for Minnesota moving forward will be to ask Cousins to do less. When he’s put in a position where he needs to win games with his arm then his flaws are quickly laid bare. When he’s permitted to pick and choose his spots with a lead, he can be devastatingly effective. Cousins isn’t a transcendent star, but he’s good enough to lead the Vikings to the promised land if they surround him with enough talent.