Kirk Cousins’ return to Minnesota could give Vikings the last laugh

The Minnesota Vikings took a bit of a risk this past offseason, allowing Kirk Cousins to depart in free agency and replace him with Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy. Sure, giving an older quarterback coming off an Achilles tear might not have sounded like the smartest of ideas, but prior to the injury, Cousins was playing like an elite quarterback. He had been Minnesota's franchise quarterback for six seasons. It isn't easy to let a player who had been that important to the franchise walk.

Well, early returns from this decision could not be better for Minnesota. The Vikings enter their Week 14 matchup against Cousins' Atlanta Falcons with a 10-2 record, tying them for the third-best mark in the sport.

Not only have the Vikings gotten everything that they could've wanted from Darnold under center, but Cousins hasn't exactly looked close to the best version of himself. With Cousins slated to return to Minnesota in a matter of days, the Vikings have a chance to look like even bigger winners of the separation.

Vikings have a chance to win Kirk Cousins separation even more convincingly

To say that this season hasn't gone to plan for Cousins in Atlanta would be an understatement. Sure, he's completed 67.4 percent of his throws and is in the top five in the league in passing yards, but Cousins has also thrown a league-leading 13 interceptions. To make matters worse, he has only regressed as the season has progressed.

Cousins has not thrown a passing touchdown since Atlanta's Week 9 game against the Dallas Cowboys. In the three games that the team has played since, Cousins has completed 62.5 percent of his throws (after sporting a 69.15 completion percentage through the team's first nine games) and has thrown six interceptions. Four of those interceptions came in Atlanta's most recent game. To top it all off, the team has gone 0-3 in those games. It has gotten so bad to the point where an argument can easily be made that Cousins should be benched in favor of Michael Penix Jr.

Cousins is playing his worst football in quite some time, and it's hard to envision things going much better for him in his old stomping grounds. Cousins has looked slower than ever, which could be a problem against an aggressive Vikings defense. The fact that Minnesota has allowed just 18.3 points per game, the fifth-fewest in the NFL, suggests it'll be even harder for Cousins.

The Vikings are the clear winners of the separation whether Cousins finds a way to play well and win in Minnesota or not, but Sunday's game gives Minnesota the chance to widen the gap.