If Peyton or Brady put that identical drive together, people are nodding and saying "well, that's what HOF'ers do." Just because Kirk is not that guy, and likely never will be, doesn't detract from what was a damn fine performance in a clutch, game-winning drive opportunity over the length of the field.
I think they'd also be saying: How could the Bucs give Manning/Brady that much time and that many open receivers?
We need to temper expectations... Cousins delivered, after not delivering for a half, against a very bad defense... I think the Saints might be just as incompetent on defense... Bears are up/down, but are learning a new system under Fangio & have had one of the tougher schedules against QBs (Rodgers, Palmer, Wilson, Carr, & Stafford)... They will be battle tested when we play them.
Right now, my thoughts on our remaining schedule looks like this:
@Patriots - Tough match, good defense... If Cousins looks professional, can lead a few TD drives and help the offense score more than 24 points while not making huge mistakes... I'll take that as a win (even if we get crushed).
Saints - This game is at home... We have to ball out here and Cousins is going against one of the worst pass defenses in the league. This game might seem tough, but it should be a win against a team that doesn't travel all that well. They are currently 1-3 on the road and were pretty much blown out a few of those games. We HAVE to win, and I would like to say we win convincingly for me to be positive about Cousins and the team.
@Panthers - This is one of the top defenses in just about every category. If Cousins helps us score 2 long TD drives on offense, I'll consider that a positive game from him, even if he makes a few mistakes (depending on the nature of the mistake).
Giants - We have to beat the Giants and get the monkey off our back. This is a tough task. Cousins has had some horrific games here. I don't think there is a way I can feel positive about Cousins if he can't be division opponents in big games. We have to win here with him making few mistakes.
Cowboys - This is a primetime game... As I stated, RGIII & McCoy have both beaten the Cowboys in primetime games... RGIII more than once... It's kind of ironic now, but remember the game RGIII reached over to Romo & said "You're still a good quarterback..."? Anyway, these are the types of games that Cousins has to prove he can win. I'll take either a win vs the Giants or the Cowboys here and feel like he's making progress. If we lose both, he can't be our QB another day.
@Bears - I'll probably have already formed my opinion about Kirk Cousins at this point... I think the Bears will be ready for us and this will be a tough game. I don't expect much here. If he plays well with few mistakes, that will be a positive sign. It's a road game, and the Bears will have already run much of a tough gauntlet of games against elite QBs. Cousins doesn't have to be super impressive for me to feel positive.
Bills - Who knows what the Bills will bring to town? I have zero expectations... If we win, I'll feel positive. If we lose, I'll just think the "good" Bills showed up. If Cousins makes a bunch of gaffes and it costs us the game, I'll have problems with him.
@Eagles - It won't surprise me if we lose this game & Cousins looks mediocre. If he lost to both the Giants & the Cowboys earlier, it'll take more than sweeping the Eagles for me to be happy with him. However, I can forgive a loss if we still have .500 within the division in reach.
@Cowboys - this game may have nothing riding on it... I'll probably have already formed by opinion... I'd hope if he lost to the Cowboys in DC earlier in the year, he can win in Dallas... Again, Robert & Colt have both won in Dallas on national tv... he needs to prove he can do the same.
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