For the second consecutive year, the Vikings' Kirk Cousins was deemed a Top 10 NFL quarterback from a reputable source: Pro Football Focus, which evaluates every play from every game to come up with one grade for every QB.
Last year, Cousins graded out as the No. 6 QB in the league. This year he dipped a bit to No. 9, but that's still a very good mark in a 32-team league.
That he made it that high in 2020 is no doubt a testament to the back half of his season, which included a 69% completion percentage on 307 attempts, 2,410 yards, 20 touchdown passes and just three interceptions over his final eight games.
PFF notes that for the year, Cousins "finished with the eighth-lowest percentage of uncatchable passes thrown while posting the No. 9 passing grade on 10-plus-yard throws," which can be read as a testament to both his accuracy and his deep passing ability.
If you're a Vikings fan, though, there is a good chance you are shaking your head. The eye test with Cousins seems to tell a different story, particularly in late-game situations. Had he led one final scoring drive in a number of instances this season – most recently in Week 15 against Chicago – the Vikings would be preparing for the playoffs.
While the insistence that Cousins only produces in garbage time is not accurate, it was symbolic at least that Cousins early Wednesday was named NFC Offensive player of the Week after a strong Week 17 performance in a relatively meaningless 37-35 win over Detroit.
Cousins' overall record as a starter – an overrated metric given there are 22 starting players for each team – is 51-51-2. With the Vikings, it's only marginally better (26-22-1, including a split in two playoff games) and he's taken Minnesota to the postseason just once in three seasons.
And it's important to note that this year's final PFF grades do reveal a significant drop-off: The top seven QBs, six of whom led their teams to the playoffs, all have grades above 90. Then there's a quick dip below 85 for No. 8 (Derek Carr, 84.7) and Cousins (No. 9, 83.9).