What do Sam Darnold and Kirk Cousins have in common? How their careers started with the Minnesota Vikings.
Darnold has effectively revived his career in four games with his new team this season. He’s one of the top passers with 932 yards, 11 touchdowns and just three interceptions.
Above all, he has the Vikings undefeated through the first four games and quickly forgetting what Cousins brought to Minnesota during his six seasons.
But should it make Cousins’ tenure an afterthought or bring back memories of what Cousins’ first four games in Minnesota were like?
Plot twist: they’re eerily similar.
That season, Cousins and the Vikings were 8-7-1 and didn’t make the playoffs. During his tenure, he had just one playoff win — against the New Orleans Saints in 2019 — in three total playoff appearances.
So we might need to pump the breaks on Darnold being the answer for the Vikings. We’re just a quarter of the way into the season and there’s a lot left to determine if Darnold is the long term answer or just a fill in.
Remember, the Vikings did draft J.J. McCarthy with their first round pick in the 2024 draft. Before the season started, they weren’t too keen on him being the final solution either.
Cousins was known for his regular season success, but couldn’t replicate it in the playoffs. Is that Darnold’s destiny too?
The one stat that differentiates Sam Darnold from Kirk Cousins
While their numbers may be similar, there is one stat that makes difference in the two restarting their career with Minnesota. And that’s wins.
During Cousins’ first four games with the Vikings he started the season with a win, tied the next game then lost the next two.
Darnold has rattled off four wins, including a win over San Francisco, which played in last season’s Super Bowl.
But strong starts are one thing. Strong finishes are another.
Cousins went on to finish his first season 7-5 after starting 1-2-1. If Darnold doesn’t lead Minnesota to the playoffs this season, regardless of how he started, it won’t matter if he ends up just like Cousins did and not having a postseason appearance.
So sure, Darnold has put himself into a position to be the perfect replacement after the Vikings moved on from Cousins. But he’s four games into Year 1. There’s still time for fans to wish Cousins never left. Especially if Atlanta’s in the playoffs and Minnesota is not.