New-Look Vikings May Flash Promise, but Kirk Cousins Is Still Biggest Hurdle

KirkCousins came up small in the biggest moments. He is an anchor when the franchise is looking for its main character.

In a world where elite quarterback play is more important than ever to compete at the highest level, the 34 year old signal-caller personifies mediocre. There is a game built around superheros. The position has qualities that are similar to Superman.

He doesn't have the natural arm talent to consistently beat defenses with accurate throws based on pre and post-snap reads. He doesn't have an elite trait.

He is paid a lot of money by the Vikings organization to be its offensive leader. The entire organization is trapped in the Phantom Zone because of this approach.

The juxtaposition of the team's performances through the first two weeks of play perfectly illustrates where the quarterback and his squad are in the league.

During Monday's 24-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field, Cousins threw three picks and averaged under five yards per try. The three second-half turnovers were backbreakers.

The first one was a good one. Jefferson didn't work across Slay's face and he undercut the pass. The quarterback's throw was taken off by defensive tackle Javon Hargrave as he tried to throw.

The next two were not easy to deal with.

The 3rd-and-7 situation was being converted byCousins. The signal- caller didn't see the dropper. Instead, he backpedaled and made a great overhead grab.

The Vikings had a chance to make a game of it in the fourth quarter. Instead, he saw an unblocked edge defender and threw a lollipop into the end zone for Slay to catch.

During the contest Minnesota never led, one can argue thatCousins pressed. The Vikings trailed by at least two scores from the beginning of the game to the end.

Kevin O'Connell said he thought Kirk battled. He should be put in some tough places. This one is on me.

Maybe he wanted to make plays. There's a problem. He doesn't have the skills to consistently make off- platform plays.

When trailing with 10 or less minutes remaining and in 3rd-and-long situations over the previous seven years, the EPA was ranked 30th and 25th. Many of his peers are in high-leverage situations, but he isn't one of them.

The strength of the offense is orchestrating it. He can be effective when he's in a good place. The Vikings looked different eight days ago.

The Packers were defeated by 16 points. The quarterback completed 71.9 percent of his passes for the game. The Packers made life simple for their opponents. They didn't match up Jaire Alexander with Jefferson often. Jefferson had a big game against Green Bay.

The man told reporters afterwards.

I would be a bit surprised. You expect him to get taken away a little bit when he has a big game, not because of him, but because you expect him to. We were able to keep him involved by finding ways to keep him busy. We'll have this season each week of how does he get defended, and we had a lot of that last season.

Jefferson is moving in the right direction. He needs to do well against the top corners. Slay caught more picks in direct coverage of Jefferson than the corner did.

"He's one of the best in the world," Slay said, "but I'm one of the best in the world as well."

There are things that fall on Cousins. Jefferson is capable of playing better. A heartbreaking mistake by tight end Irv Smith Jr. should have resulted in a 63- yard touchdown.

Minnesota's margin of error is too small. Those mistakes cannot be made by it. The Vikings need their top performers to show up every week because they don't have a quarterback who can elevate lesser players or overcome adversity.

They need to play better.

When addressing the media, a quarterback should say it. The team has issues with its current setup because of whatCousins can do.

The Vikings have enough talent on their roster to compete every week. Jefferson will come back. He can still be a factor. Dalvin Cook isn't going to be held to 17 rushing yards a lot. Ed Donatell's defense will learn from playing a mostly two-high-safety look against a strong ground game while still making a major mental mistake by surrendering a 53-yard touchdown.

The Vikings are moving in a different direction. Some stability was what O'Connell and Adofo- Mensah wanted. He signed because he was afraid of subpar quarterback play. The veteran has been around for 11 years. His ceiling and floor overlap. Average quarterback play is to blame for Minnesota remaining in limbo.

It isn't good enough that he is what he is. The franchise will be treading water until it goes in another direction at the most important position.

For Bleacher Report, Brent Sobleski covers the National Football League. Be sure to follow him on social media.