Familiarity goes a long way when it comes to quarterbacking in the NFL.
Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings appear set to test the veteran's memory and familiarity with head coach Kevin O'Connell's offense this week. Cousins, O'Connell and Vikings general manager Nolan Teasley all indicated that Cousins will be the team's starting quarterback for their Week 10 clash with the Green Bay Packers.
The veteran quarterback, whom the Vikings acquired before the trade deadline on Nov. 10, said most of his last 24 hours was spent figuring out the logistics of returning to Minnesota in the middle of the season. After that, he said he's started to shift his mind to the playbook and preparing for the Nov. 15 game in Green Bay.
"You can't play this position
if it's not instinctive," Cousins said when asked about the challenges he's facing this week. "So, just trying to make everything as instinctive as you can possibly do, so you're just reacting and playing rather than thinking."
Is Kirk Cousins going to start this week?
The 38-year-old alluded further to his chances of starting in Week 10 when asked about returning to Lambeau Field. Cousins' last game with the Vikings in his first stint with the team was at the home of the Packers. It ended with him being carted off the field due to an Achilles injury in 2023.
"It means a lot to play at Lambeau Field, no matter what the circumstances," Cousins said. "Knowing that that was where I was carted off, and I had thoughts of, 'Is this my last game? Is this my last game as a Viking?' To be back out there, wearing the purple-and-gold. It has meaning, but you have to go make it mean something with the way you play."
O'Connell was unwilling to tip the Vikings' hand when it came to their plan behind center on Sunday. The head coach played coy when asked if Cousins would immediately take back the starting job in Week 10.
"It's still too early to commit wholeheartedly to what the plan on Sunday looks like, but I will say (I'm) excited about the opportunity of spending every moment we can between now and then to get him comfortable and allow him to play for us this Sunday," O'Connell said. "So that's what we're working towards, but (we) also want to be fair to Kirk and make sure he feels good about it going into Lambeau Field."
The Vikings' general manager was the most straightforward about the team's plan for Cousins. After initially deferring to O'Connell making the decision about the team's starting quarterback going forward, Teasley indicated that he expected to see Cousins on the field soon.
"I would leave [the starting quarterback decision] to Kevin (O'Connell) – he's going to put us in the best position to succeed. But we also didn't acquire Kirk to not play," Teasley said.
O'Connell has a history of getting quarterbacks prepared to play on short notice. In Week 9 of the 2023 season – the Vikings' first game after Cousins' Achilles injury – Minnesota backup Jaren Hall sustained a concussion. That thrust Joshua Dobbs, whom the Vikings had acquired via a trade with the Cardinals five days earlier, into the game for his Minnesota debut.
Dobbs finished the game 20-of-30 for 158 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran seven times for 66 yards and a rushing touchdown.
Cousins faces similar conditions in his return to the Vikings: five days to play before their next game. Unlike Dobbs, the former Raider is familiar with O'Connell's playbook and offensive scheme from his first stint in Minnesota.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kirk Cousins is back with the Vikings. When will he make his first start?
