Viktor
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- Mar 19, 2019
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MINNEAPOLIS – If there ever was a game to test the theory of Kirk Cousins’ even-keeled demeanor, Sunday was it.
And yet, the Vikings quarterback stayed true to who his teammates say he always is: not too high, and not too low.
“He’s always the same. He’s calm, cool, collected,” tackle Brian O’Neill said. “He prepares the right way, he studies the right way, and he does everything right. He always says he tries to be a constant, stay the same level mentally, physically and emotionally – and it’s a very high level.”
Cousins kept his composure during Minnesota’s dramatic, 27-23 comeback defeat of Denver at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The Vikings entered the locker room down 20-0 at halftime. The odds of bouncing back and grabbing win number eight heading into the bye? Not great.
But Cousins didn’t care too much about the odds.
Tight end Irv Smith, Jr., said that Cousins built his teammates up during halftime and urged, “Let’s go. Let’s get it started. That first half is gone.”
Cousins led the charge, helping the Vikings drive 65 yards to open the third quarter before finding Smith on a second-and-goal from the Broncos 10 for the rookie’s first career touchdown.
“I feel like that drive … kind of just started everything,” Smith said. “Everybody was hot, and from then on, we just kept dialing it up.”
The Vikings bounced back from an abysmal first half in all phases – “It was like Bad News Bears,” said Ameer Abdullah – and were laser-focused on righting the ship.