Vikings' Kirk Cousins navigates consistent pressure with improved pocket presence

The Vikings started their final drive of regulation against the Buffalo Bills from their own 24-yard line on Sunday, down by four points and hoping to complete a fourth-quarter comeback with 3:26 to go.

Kirk Cousins dropped back on first down, stepping to his right as Brian O'Neill steered Von Miller's bull rush to the quarterback's left. But Bills tackle Ed Oliver beat Vikings guard Ed Ingram, disrupting Cousins' throwing lane as Justin Jefferson broke open across the middle of the field. Cousins feinted back to his left as Oliver flew by, reset to throw with defensive tackle Jordan Phillips bearing down on him and slung a throw past a diving Tyrel Dodson to K.J. Osborn for a 5-yard gain.

It was far from the quarterback's most dramatic throw of the day — that would come five plays later — but it meant second-and-5 for the Vikings, instead of a sack that might have put their final drive in a critical state.

"I think there's some plays where you can really highlight, maybe it wasn't the perfect play or execution, but he was able with good ball security to maneuver the pocket and still find some positive plays to just keep our momentum and keep our offense moving forward," coach Kevin O'Connell said. "Those are huge plays. They're not going to show up on 'SportsCenter' or things like that, but they are critical, critical plays."

The quarterback's work with O'Connell and offensive coordinator Wes Phillips has continued to develop his pocket presence, where Cousins has navigated consistent pressure from opposing defenses, picked up seven first downs and two touchdowns with his feet and made some of his biggest throws from tight pockets.

Though Cousins has been pressured on 137 of his dropbacks — the third-most in the league, according to Pro Football Focus — he's been sacked only 14.6% of the time he's pressured, which is the NFL's fifth-best mark behind Justin Herbert, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Jared Goff.

Cousins was sacked on 18% and 17.6% of his pressures in 2019 and 2020, according to PFF; those rates have dropped to 13.6% and 14.6% in 2021 and 2022.

"I think it's a continuous process with the quarterback. I don't know that I'd ever say Kirk was poor at moving within the pocket," Phillips said. "It's a lot about continuing to develop those skills because the pockets are going to be muddy. They're going to be tight. You're going to have to throw off different platforms. You're going to have to throw backing up or moving from one side to the other. You're going to have to change arm angles to throw around guys. ...

""The rush is real, and Kirk's got a good timeclock in his head. He knows when he's got to get it out, and he knows when he can buy a little bit more time, slide to the right or left, step up in the pocket, and then we've seen he can actually escape and make a few first downs with his feet as well, which have been really big this year."

Cousins managed pressure with his feet, but he's also done it by trusting his arm. Against the Commanders, Cousins took a shot to the midsection from tackle Daron Payne as he stood in the pocket and fired a 47-yard throw to Jefferson. Last week in overtime, with Bills tackle Oliver having slipped past O'Neill, Cousins fired across his body from the right hash mark to the left sideline, throwing almost blind to a spot and hoping Jefferson would get there.

The play went for a 13-yard gain and a first down when Jefferson beat Dane Jackson and tapped his toes just before crashing out of bounds.

"That was the protection more than anything; if protection holds up, you don't have to throw it as blind or as early," Cousins said. "That was more of a 'don't take a sack' throw: 'Let me put to a spot where I expect Justin to be. I don't believe a defender's out there, so let me put it in that general area, where it's ours or nobody's.'

"Every one of them is kind of its own deal, but there's certainly moments where you feel like, 'Hey, Justin having a defensive back with his back to me is a pretty good option,' rather than risking a sack, or risking nobody being open, and now you're running for your life. Sometimes getting the ball out of your hand, and giving him an opportunity with the DB's back turned is a pretty good play."

The Vikings have nudged Cousins toward a more aggressive approach, and a receiver like Jefferson, who built his 193-yard day on contested catches against the Bills, makes it easier for the quarterback to take chances like he did on Sunday.

"The player certainly dictates the confidence level: the ability to naturally adjust to the ball, and have strong hands, and be aggressive to the ball," Cousins said. "I think it's important that you place it right, where you don't give the DB a great chance at it, but you also don't throw such a safe ball that it's nobody's ball. That's always the challenge you're trying to find: How do I get it closer to Justin without putting our team in harm's way with a turnover? You'll be finding that balance as long as you play."

Whether on highlight plays or less-celebrated completions, the quarterback has made important contributions with surprisingly nimble feet and a bit of nerve in the pocket.

"Maybe we're giving him a little seam here or there where we might not have been able to before," O'Neill said. "Maybe he's just saying, 'I've got to make a play.' Whether he's doing that or not, he has our full trust."