Every NFL player experiences crises at different points in their career. What varies is the duration and severity of the break-in.

In 2017, Julio Jones played six straight games without scoring a touchdown. In 1996, Michael Strahan went seven straight games without recording a sack. In 2009, Adrian Peterson averaged 3.5 yards per carry in seven games. It’s a strange feeling when one of your franchise players is performing significantly worse than usual, but at the end of the day we’re all human and even the best of the best can have off days. Weeks or even months.

But there is one position that has to be pretty consistently good every week to give a team a chance to win, and when it deviates from consistency, things start to unravel and affect the entire team. Quarterback slumps happen every year, and while other players can sometimes rely on their position mates to pick up the slack, the quarterback is always under the microscope, making his mistakes stand out even more clearly.

Kirk Cousins ​​is the latest signal-caller to go through a period of regression, and in my personal opinion, he not only played the worst four games of his career, but also the worst of any quarterback in the last twenty years. Cousins ​​hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass since Nov. 3, and he’s thrown eight interceptions during that same period, including a pick six during his four-interception game against Los Angeles.

Prior to 2024, Cousins ​​had not thrown a touchdown pass in several weeks since 2013, the same year he was named the starter in place of the injury-prone Robert Griffin III. It’s highly uncharacteristic for a player of Cousins’ caliber to retire so quickly after becoming more calculated and meticulous over the course of his career, and while Cousins ​​isn’t at the top of the all-time greats charts, he has We deserve to keep it at a relatively high standard.

So… what went wrong?

Pinpoint the problem for Cousins

Cousins ​​has been known throughout his career as a quarterback who takes the safe, secure option when making decisions. I’ve seen Vikings fans call him the “check-down dealer” and point out his over-reliance on short, easy throws, even when the game is on the line.

A good example of this is the Minnesota Vikings’ 2022 wild card playoff game against the New York Giants, when Cousins ​​threw a three-yard out route to TJ Hockenson on 4th and 8. The tight end was immediately tackled and defeated by Xavier McKinney, ending Minnesota’s season at 13-4 in the first round. Even with three receivers on duty and all the running routes beyond the line to win, Cousins ​​made a bet that Hockenson would use his body to muscle through contact and gain five yards after the catch, to save the Vikings’ Super Bowl hopes.

However, that doesn’t mean Cousins ​​would never play off the ball. His all-time favorite target is Justin Jefferson, a winger who specializes in torching his defenders from mid- to long-range. Jefferson, who scored 518 times and had 5,338 receiving yards during his time as Cousins’ ball catcher, played a key role in improving the accuracy of Cousins’ deep balls, and of course it also helped that Jefferson was routinely 50/50 in his game Balls converted into 80/20 favor.

In Atlanta, attempts at an air raid offensive have more or less fallen by the wayside. Often, especially in recent weeks, receivers have struggled to create space, leaving little room for error in Cousins’ throwing windows. The quarterback wasn’t exactly Hawkeye himself either, as anyone might have guessed given his absurd touchdown-to-interception ratio over the last four contests. His recent decision making has been completely tainted as he moves further and further away from what has led to this offense finding its sweet spot and functioning like a well-oiled machine through Week 9.

During this time, Cousins ​​focused on what he did best throughout his career and took advantage of what the defense gave him. He excelled early on at short to medium range, forcing defenses to play underneath and allowing the occasional deep shot from Darnell Mooney or Drake London. Lately it seems to me like Cousins ​​looks a lot more unsettled and is unnecessarily driving the ball into traffic. When I’ve been watching games lately, I often can’t help but play armchair quarterback and say, “Who did he throw to?” or “so-and-so was wide open.”

Even his quick, intermediate throws seemed off-balance as he’s struggled to hit the mark lately. Six of his eight interceptions in the last four games came within 20 yards or less of the line of scrimmage. At some point, Cousins ​​thought he might even feel compelled to broach the subject more often. The question is, why?

While the actual answer is unknown, I believe Cousins ​​feels out of place because of Zach Robinson’s offensive system. First of all, this year marks the lowest percentage of plays Kirk Cousins ​​has made since his time with Minnesota in 2018. In fact, through the first twelve weeks, Atlanta was the only team that didn’t call more than 10% of the action games.

While I’m not one to wade into the “system quarterback” debate, one thing has been proven: Kirk Cousins ​​excels in offenses that focus on game action. Admittedly, Cousins ​​has never been and never is the most mobile quarterback, which is even more the case now after suffering a season-ending Achilles tendon injury a year ago. However, it is still one of its strengths.

For one thing, play-action calls tend to have simpler, more quarterback-friendly reads. These plays typically consist of flood or shot pass concepts that involve route combinations that force the zone defense to choose between covering route runners under or over the top. In the past, these combinations have helped Cousins ​​recognize and respond to coverages and develop better judgment on throws. Play-action plays also typically divide the field, making it easier for the quarterback to move through his play progressions since he only has to read a quarter or half of the field.

This year, Cousins ​​has largely forgone that element and is forced to play in a faster-paced offense that requires him to absorb a lot of information quickly after the snap and scan the entire field with limited mobility because he feels like something having to make a positive play before the pressure he can’t escape comes home. It doesn’t work smoothly.

Cousins ​​appeared comfortable in this new system several times this year, but mostly he appeared confused, disoriented and uncomfortable. It’s clear that Cousins ​​and offensive coordinator Zach Robinson are far from seeing eye to eye, and while I don’t believe the plays mentioned favor Cousins’ style of play or current limitations at all, I feel like that’s the real issue is that Cousins ​​is trying to be a quarterback, which he is not.

With every interception he throws, he becomes more sloppy, almost as if he’s trying to prove something he doesn’t have to. To this point in his career, Cousins ​​has played to his strengths, and the further he gets away from it, the more Atlanta will slip further. It’s a terrible crisis he’s in right now, but I hope for all of us that he finds a way out on Monday night.