Kirk Cousins Was Better Than Patrick Mahomes Last Season, PFF Says
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Good news, Vikings fans: Kirk Cousins is officially better than Patrick Mahomes, at least according to Pro Football Focus.
Sure, Mahomes' resume includes a Super Bowl win, Super Bowl MVP, league MVP and Offensive Player of the Year. But according to PFF's Top 101 list, which ranks the best players from the 2021 season, Cousins is the better passer.
Cousins -- who by PFF's own admission is "not one of the very best passers in the game" -- ranks 41st on the list, while Mahomes comes in at 69th.
"So much focus is on where Cousins falls short that we often fail to recognize just how good he has been in Minnesota and his impressive continual improvement," PFF wrote. "He finished the regular season with the No. 5-ranked quarterback grade and dropped to No. 6 by the end of the playoffs."
Mahomes and the Chiefs offense, meanwhile, "had a very strange season, each struggling at various points and not quite looking the same as in previous years," PFF said.
Cousins' and Mahomes' final PFF grades were 89.6 and 81.8, respectively, out of a possible 100. It's worth noting that the list is not a strict ranking by grade -- several players who slotted above Cousins earned worse overall grades.
Cousins finished the season with 4,221 yards, 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The Vikings went 8-9 and missed the playoffs.
Mahomes tallied 4,839 yards, 37 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in the regular season, adding another 1,057 yards, 11 touchdowns and three interceptions in the playoffs. The Chiefs lost the AFC Championship to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Ten QBs made PFF's Top 101, and Cousins is ranked sixth among them. The Bengals' Joe Burrow was the top-ranked passer and sixth overall player, while MVP Aaron Rodgers was ranked fourth among QBs and 18th overall.
The only other Viking to make the list was Justin Jefferson, who ranked 21st overall. Three wide receivers were ranked above him -- the Rams' Cooper Kupp (3), the Packers' Davante Adams (5) and the 49ers' Deebo Samuel (8).
"Jefferson's rookie season was so incredible that some kind of regression seemed inevitable in Year 2. Instead, the Vikings pass-catcher backed it up with another outstanding year," PFF wrote. "Jefferson is already a complete receiver and one of the most devastating players in the league at the position."
According to PFF, 49ers left tackle Trent Williams was the best player in the league last season. He earned a 98.3 grade -- the highest ever given to a tackle.