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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Ivan Lambert

Commanders face former quarterback Kirk Cousins and Vikings

Kirk Cousins returns to FedEx Field Sunday for the first time since wearing the Burgundy and Gold.

Cousins has faced Washington once since departing for the Vikings. It was Oct. 24, 2019, in Minnesota on a Thursday Night Football game in which Cousins completed 23 of 26 passes in the 19-9 Vikings victory.

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The last time the two franchises met at FedEx Field was a very competitive, entertaining game during the 2016 season. Washington raced out to a 14-0 lead as Cousins threw touchdown passes to Jamison Crowder (4 yards) and Vernon Davis (38 yards). Sam Bradford answered with two touchdown passes of his own for a Vikings 20-14 halftime lead.

The Washington defense then shut down the Vikings, and Dustin Hopkins contributed field goals from 30 and 37 yards in the third quarter and from 50 and 28 yards in the final quarter for a Washington 26-20 victory.

Cousins was his typical effective self, completing 22 of 33 for 262 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, averaging 7.9 yards per attempt for a 110.9 passer rating.

The 2022 Commanders (4-4) have won three games consecutively, and the Vikings (6-1) enter the FedEx Field contest with a five-game winning streak. Of course, this Sunday we hope and root for Taylor Heinicke and the Commanders to defeat Cousins and the Vikings.

Yet, there are those Washington fans who love to continually dump on Cousins, minimizing his accomplishments. Many of those folks even go as far as to assert Cousins played for himself, his stats and not the team. Yet, the last time Washington had a winning season, wasn’t it Kirk Cousins who started every game?

In addition, the last time Washington enjoyed two winning seasons (2015-16) wasn’t that Cousins who was their quarterback? On Twitter they declare, “9-7 and 8-7-1, you call that winning?” They go further, labeling Cousins a loser.

You wouldn’t take Cousins, rather than what you have had to endure the last five seasons? Wasn’t Cousins certainly much better than the 28 wins and 45 losses that have been recorded since his departure?

I wonder why it is when castigating and excoriating Cousins; these “fair and honest” fans can’t muster the courage to admit the obvious?

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