Vikings' Mike Zimmer on Kirk Cousins' Struggles in Big Games: 'Ask Him'

The Minnesota Vikings fell to 2-2 with a 16-6 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday, and quarterback Kirk Cousins caught a lot of heat in the aftermath.   

The loss was made worse by the fact the Bears lost starting quarterback Mitchell Trubisky to a shoulder injury on the first drive of the game.

However, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer refrained from placing blame on Cousins and his growing reputation for underperforming in big games with a 5-27 career record against winning teams.

"I don't know," Zimmer said, according to ESPN's Courtney Cronin. "You'd have to ask him." 

Cousins was asked, actually:

To Cousins' point, running back Dalvin Cook recorded at least 100 yards rushing in each of Minnesota's first three games. Against the Bears, though, the team was kept to 40 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.

Receiver Adam Thielen, whom Cousins missed on a sure touchdown down the field in the first quarter, expressed his frustration with the passing attack following the loss:

While many perceived Thielen's comments to be a veiled shot at Cousins' inability to stretch the field, he denied that notion Monday by pointing out no team can succeed while being one-dimensional. 

Stefon Diggs did have 108 yards on seven receptions in the game, but it marked the first 100-yard receiving performance for the Vikings in 2019. Consistency is the issue.

Cousins has been pressured on 34 percent of his drop-backs, according to Cronin, which is the third-highest mark in the league this year. Zimmer did get a little more specific with media Monday by saying "there's times where you've just got to pull the trigger, you've just got to believe that you're going to make the throws" despite getting hit. 

Overall through Week 4, the Vikings' passing attack ranks 31st with 169 yards per game.