On Monday night, the Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback story went from disappointment to farce, and it was obvious that the franchise had to do something about it. Kevin O’Connell’s team has cycled through a reverse Murderers’ Row of signal-callers over the last two seasons, and that process hit its nadir in Minnesota’s 23-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills. While Brian Flores’ amazing defense became less amazing the more it was forced to be on the field (the Bills held a time of possession advantage of 42:32-17:28), quarterback Carson Wentz was spraying the ball all over U.S. Bank Stadium to the soundtrack of boos from the home crowd. 

Wentz completed 8 of 25 passes for 81 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions, a passer rating of 8.9 and an EPA per dropback of -0.99 – which basically means that every time Wentz dropped back, the Vikings lost a potential point off the scoreboard. 

Obviously, this could not stand, as the 6-2 Vikings were on the verge of wasting one of the best defenses in franchise history at the altar of miscalculation at the game’s most important position. From J.J. McCarthy to Kyler Murray to Wentz, every move the Vikings have made at quarterback since letting Sam Darnold walk to Seattle in free agency after the 2024 season has been an epic disaster. 

McCarthy is no longer with the team that traded up to select him with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft; the Vikings traded him to the New York Giants on Sept. 28. They signed Murray to a lowball deal (one year, $1.3 million) after Murray was released by the Arizona Cardinals, the team that selected him first overall in the 2019 NFL draft. Wentz has been a journeyman for years, and we all know why. 

Kirk Cousins can make the Vikings a serious postseason contender

Which is why the Vikings sent a 2027 third-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday for Kirk Cousins, who of course played for them from 2018 to 2023. In his 15th NFL season, the 38-year-old Cousins has completed 202 of 315 passes (64.1 percent) for 2,340 yards (7.4 yards per attempt), 20 touchdowns, eight interceptions and a passer rating of 97.1 – his highest since his last season in Minnesota in 2023 (103.8). Cousins’ +0.1 EPA per pass is tied with Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears for 10th-best in the league. 

So, this is a radical improvement over what O’Connell has had at quarterback since Darnold replaced Cousins in 2024 and then left to win a Super Bowl in Seattle. Now, it’s up to O’Connell to maximize what Cousins has left to offer, and there’s one obvious way to bring out his best. 

NFL Stat of the Week: Under-center play-action is the key to Kirk Cousins’ game

Some quarterbacks like to be away from the center in pistol and shotgun formations, and others prefer to drop back without the assistance of play-action. Kirk Cousins is neither of those quarterbacks: In the 2026 season, Cousins has been at his best when taking the snap from under center and faking to the back before he throws the ball. 

The Stat: Kirk Cousins is a top-five quarterback in passer rating and EPA per dropback with under-center play-action

This season, per SumerSports, only Trevor Lawrence, Jordan Love and C.J. Stroud have been more efficient and effective when using under-center play-action than Cousins, who has completed 46 of 63 such passes (73.0 percent) for 481 yards (7.6 YPA), six touchdowns, one interception, a passer rating of 119.9 and an EPA per dropback of +0.314 that's fourth-best in the league. Cousins’ passer rating is also fourth-best in the league, behind only Lamar Jackson, Lawrence and Love.

Why does this work for Cousins? The threat of the run fake draws defenders to the line of scrimmage more than straight dropbacks, which gives him more defined openings downfield. And because he’s learned a thing or two in his 15 NFL seasons, Cousins doesn’t mind that the defensive picture will likely change from pre-snap to post-snap — so when he turns his head back to the play after faking the handoff, he can easily diagnose what’s happening. It’s a balancing act between easy reads and less time to diagnose moving coverages, and Cousins has been on the right side of it for years. 

Back in 2023, before he lost the back half of his season to a torn Achilles tendon, Cousins was also doing well with under-center play-action. Overall, he completed 216 of 311 passes (69.5 percent) for 2,331 yards (7.5 YPA), 18 touchdowns, five interceptions and the 103.8 passer rating we mentioned before. His EPA per pass of +0.06 was the NFL’s fifth-highest. With under-center play-action, he completed 55 of 76 passes (72.4 percent) for 577 yards (7.6 YPA), four touchdowns, no interceptions, a passer rating of 111.6 and an EPA per dropback of +0.046.

This, of course, is the other specific advantage to the Cousins trade: O’Connell has been the Vikings’ head coach since 2022 (he also coached Cousins with Washington from 2017-2019 as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator), so he knows what Cousins does best, and how to set him up for it. 

So, as you’re watching the Vikings’ Back to the Future passing game for the rest of the season, expect those under-center play-action reps to be a major part of the equation.