WAACK: I used to cover the New Orleans Saints for The Times-Picayune. Obviously, the Falcons play in New Orleans once a year, and where they go, I go. That’s one trip I always look forward to each season. Even though my responsibilities on game day are the same, home or away, it is nice to be surrounded by familiar faces and places that I don’t get to see nearly as often anymore in the lead-up to the action.
So, if I were Kirk Cousins, I’d look at this Week 14 return to Minnesota as a blessing. He gets to go back. He gets to catch up with former coaches and teammates. I doubt he’ll hit the town Saturday night, but he’ll still get glimpses of the place he used to call home. Embrace that. Allow the positive emotions to wash out any recent negativity.
Because let’s be real: After three consecutive losses, the latest in which he threw a personal-high four interceptions, the pressure on Cousins to perform is higher than it has been all season in Atlanta. Understandably so. Cousins hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass since Nov. 3. It has been more than a month and three full games, the longest streak of his career.
Well, what better stadium to end that drought than one in which he’s comfortable?
Or, if going off ~feelings~ alone isn’t enough to ease worries, here’s an indisputable stat to remember: Through 44 games at U.S. Bank Stadium, Cousins has only had two without a touchdown pass. That means 95% of the time, he successfully found the end zone. Focus on that. Minnesota was — and still can be — somewhere Cousins thrives.
SUBHAN: On the surface, it may not seem like a good time for this game. Surely the ideal time would be when the Falcons are not in a crucial stretch of the season; when Kirk Cousins is peaking and “Swag Surfin'” after every game with chains all around. That would be a “good time” to return to Minnesota. Still, I happen to think Week 14 is also a good time.
There’s something to be said about familiar environments. It may be emotionally jarring to come in as a visitor, but Cousins’ muscle memory knows how to throw a touchdown in that stadium; he knows how to win in that stadium.
I find it an even more interesting storyline for Cousins to redeem himself from the last few outings against his former team rather than returning when things are all happy and shiny.
I also think that Cousins, as a competitor, will rise to the challenge. Cousins has thrown 13 interceptions, the most he’s ever had at this point in the season. He’s making mistakes he doesn’t typically make. But he’s had a “coming home” game before, when he played the Washington Commanders in 2022, and he knows how to handle his emotions. He also knows how to make the most of a moment like this, because he’s done so before.