Vikings' Kirk Cousins to Replace Packers' Aaron Rodgers on 2020 Pro Bowl Roster

Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins will replace Aaron Rodgers on the NFC's 2020 Pro Bowl team. He was one of five Minnesota players added to the roster Tuesday. 

Rodgers will sit out the annual all-star festivities after participating in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, with the Packers losing to the San Francisco 49ers. Cousins is making his second Pro Bowl appearance. He previously replaced Rodgers in the 2017 game.

With the Vikings making a concerted effort to focus on the ground game, Cousins' counting stats were down from his first season in Minnesota. He threw for 3,603 yards and 26 touchdowns against six interceptions, numbers that would not result in a Pro Bowl bid most years.

However, it was Cousins' increased efficiency within the confines of the Vikings offense that made his performance noteworthy. He increased his yards per attempt by a full yard (8.1 from 7.1) and set a career high with a 107.4 passer rating. The Vikings were particularly effective in play action down the field, and Cousins completed 5.6 percent above his expected percentage.

While Cousins performed poorly in a divisional-round loss to the San Francisco 49ers, a week earlier, he threw a pair of perfectly placed balls to give the Vikings an upset win over the New Orleans Saints. His 43-yard strike to Adam Thielen was perhaps his best pass of the season and set up a two-yard fade to Kyle Rudolph to give Minnesota an overtime road win.

Rodgers has not competed in the Pro Bowl since 2012 despite being selected five times in that timeframe. Following the 2012 game, Rodgers said he was "embarrassed" by the effort of some NFC teammates in the game.