Minnesota Vikings: 5 Keys to beating Seahawks on Monday Night Football

2. Cousins must step up under pressure

The game against the Broncos showed people around the NFL three things; Kirk Cousins can throw a football, he can rally his offense and, above all, he wants to win games. The criticism surrounding his $84 million contract hasn’t rattled him yet and it won’t any time soon.

If the first three keys transpire as planned for Minnesota, Cousins should have no problem picking apart Seattle’s secondary. Recently, the Vikings quarterback has been playing some of the best football of his career, topping it off with erasing a 20-point deficit two weeks ago. Although he was criticized for apologizing to his wide receivers, I think it strengthened the bond with the guys in the locker room which is translating to a much more explosive Minnesota offense.

Cousins’ success against the Seahawks relies on being able to move out of the pocket and throwing the ball away when the pressure breaks through. Plenty of teams around the league have figured out that he doesn’t scramble often, so Seattle is bound to send some different blitz packages to try and rattle him.

This is where he needs to use his mobility. They aren’t expecting him to move around and scramble, so it’s time for him to subvert those expectations.

This is the game where Kirk Cousins can change the narrative surrounding his talent. He’s already won some big games this year and this could be another notch on his belt.