Kirk Cousins could succeed where other Vikings QBs have struggled. Here’s why.

Kirk Cousins’ comfort level in the Vikings offense — the kind of comfort that has evaded quarterbacks Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy and evaded veteran Carson Wentz on Monday night vs. the Bills — was the talk of Wednesday’s news conferences at team headquarters in Eagan . Cousins, 38, said he wasn’t looking to start over again when he chose the Raiders this offseason. That was on his mind when the NFL trade deadline approached and he knew his strong play under Raiders coach Klint Kubiak — his former Vikings play-caller — could make him wanted elsewhere. When told he was traded to the Vikings on Tuesday by Raiders management, Cousins said the “ball was in my court” as far as approving the deal. He spoke with Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell and quickly affirmed that it would be the right move for him. “Similar to Klint, Kevin knows me,” Cousins said Wednesday. “Kevin knows what I do well. Kevin knows what I don’t do well. Kevin knows what I can handle; Kevin knows what I can’t handle. I think that helps. Not just that he knows your strengths, but that he knows your weaknesses and he’s going to try to protect you.” Advertisement Cousins, in his 15th NFL season, played remarkably well for the Raiders. He oversaw the NFL’s eighth-best scoring offense (26.4 points per game) despite the team only posting 100 rushing yards in a game twice. The Raiders defense has also allowed the most points and yards in the league. Thanks to strong pass protection, Cousins ranks second in the NFL in sack rate (3.4%) behind San Francisco’s Brock Purdy while also averaging the 10th-highest intended air yards per throw (8.0). Cousins immediately meshed with star tight end Brock Bowers, which O’Connell cited when discussing what he saw from the QB on film. “What jumped out was some tight-window throws in rhythm, on time,” O’Connell said. “And there’s a lot of similar throws” in the Raiders and Vikings offenses. In 26 games with O’Connell, Cousins has a 17-9 record. He is 76-76-2 playing for any other coach.