NFL 2018: Ranking the new QB situations for 2018 season

#2 Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings (1-2-1)

Kirk Cousins, signed a monster contract with the Minnesota Vikings this offseason. After reaching the NFC Championship game a year ago with Keenum under center, the expectations very sky high for the Vikings fans. Some even considered this a Superbowl or bust move.

If indeed it is a Superbowl or bust move, the Vikings are off to a terrible start. They opened the season with a W against the 49ers but tied it up in week 2 with the Packers thanks to some head-scratching roughing the passer penalties. But the real stunner cam in Week 3 when Vikings and Cousins looked almost clueless against a bad Buffalo Bills team who scored a combined 23 points in the remaining three games.

Cousins was shutout for three quarters, he had a couple of strip sacks an INT and it was late in the 4Q that he tossed a TD almost in garbage time. Apart from that one week, Cousins was his usual self he completed nearly 70% of his passes, tossing 10 Touchdowns and just 2 picks. He has 1,387 yards in just 4 games and yet the record is 1-2-1 record.

Cousins tenure so far remained same like his Redskins tenure where he played very well when was not pressured too much. But, when pressured his performance goes down. In 2018 so far his rating when the pocket is clean was 112.2, but when he is pressured it dramatically drops down to 89.8.

Cousins even brought his fumbling issue from Redskins to Vikings, in which he is second most to fumble the ball since 2015. The Vikings O-line performance has been masked by Keenum's athleticism last season of avoiding the sacks, which Cousins clearly lacks.

If Vikings need to find success with Cousins under center they need to provide a clean pocket and give him time to make the plays that Keenum couldn't have done last season. The NFC North looks very interesting with Chicago Bears on Top with Packer right next to them. If the Vikings need to be in the Playoffs in a very tough NFC they need to keep teh pocket clean for Cousins.