Packers vs. Vikings: The battle of Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins
Although they won’t be on the field at the same time, a key matchup on Monday Night Football will be the battle of the quarterbacks: Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins.
Both Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins are having excellent seasons.
Rodgers has drawn some criticism as he’s not reached his MVP-level of play that’s expected of him often enough. But any quarterback who throws for 3,463 yards, 24 touchdowns and only two interceptions in 14 games deserves a ton of praise. And Rodgers was selected to his eighth Pro Bowl as a result.
The player Rodgers may have just edged out in the Pro Bowl voting was his opponent on Monday, Cousins. The Vikings’ quarterback is arguably having the best season of his career. He’s thrown for 3,481 yards, 25 touchdowns and just five interceptions.
Rodgers won the battle in Week 2.
The two-time MVP threw for 209 yards and two touchdowns, while Cousins finished with 230 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Playing turnover-free football is important when you’re up against Rodgers and the Packers. Cousins didn’t do that earlier in the season, but he has been very good at protecting the football since.
In the 12 games since the last meeting between the Packers and Vikings, Cousins has thrown just three interceptions with two fumbles.
Rodgers protects the football better than any other quarterback in the league. He only threw two interceptions all of last season and has two more in 2019. That’s four interceptions in his past 30 games.
The trio of Cousins and wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen will give the Packers defense a lot to be concerned with during this game. For the Vikings pass defense, their main focus will be stopping the Rodgers-to-Davante Adams connection. In his past three games against the Vikings, Adams has 239 yards and two touchdowns.
Rodgers and Cousins are both having great seasons, and it’s no surprise their teams are a combined 21-7. Which QB will have the better game at U.S. Bank Stadium this week?