Things are coming to a head for Minnesota’s $84 million man.

Kirk Cousins’ first year as the Vikings quarterback wasn’t a complete disaster. But it was far from a success as the Vikings regressed from a 13-3 division winner without him to an 8-7-1 team watching the playoffs from home last season.

After Sunday’s inept offensive outing in a 16-6 loss to the Chicago Bears to fall to 2-2, it’s fair to question if signing Cousins was a critical misstep. In doing so, the answer becomes clear.

Signing Kirk Cousins was a mistake

When looking at one of the NFL’s best defenses alongside high-level skill talent in running back Dalvin Cook and wide receivers Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs, one doesn’t have to look hard to find the weak link on the field in Minnesota.

Cousins isn’t the answer.

Just ask Thielen, who didn’t hold back in calling out his quarterback after Sunday’s loss.

View photos Adam Thielen didn't hold back in criticizing Kirk Cousins. (Reuters) More

Thielen’s harsh words for Cousins

“At some point, you're not going to be able to run the ball for 180 yards, even with the best running back in the NFL,” Thielen told reporters, per The Athletic. “That's when you have to be able to throw the ball. ... You have to be able to hit the deep balls.”

Those are not the words of a man who has faith in his quarterback. They’re the words of a man who’s long been frustrated with the man running his offense.

At first glance, Cousins’ day against the Bears — in typical Cousins form — didn’t look terrible on the stat sheet. He completed 75 percent of his passes for 233 yards without an interception.

Cousins repeatedly wilts in pressure of big play

It was just impotent. And a deeper look at the box score reveals the flaws. He failed to find the end zone. He took six sacks. He fumbled twice, losing one in the red zone. He averaged 6.5 yards per attempt.

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He couldn’t hit the big play, despite being surrounded by big-play talent.

He missed a big third-down throw in the first half to Thielen from midfield that could have gone for a touchdown.

Cousins with plenty of time..overthrows an open thielen for a td..feels like we’ve had a lot of these this season #Vikings https://t.co/3IapxfHL39 — SKskolReport (@SKOLreportSK) September 30, 2019

“He made a great read of finding me open, and just didn't complete the pass,” Thielen said. “It's as simple as that.”

To his credit, Cousins owned the mistake.

“Yeah, it's a throw I want back,” Cousins said. “Yeah, you want to hit that one for sure.”

But Cousins’ job isn’t to admit mistakes. It’s to avoid these kinds of missed opportunities in the first place.

View photos The defense is there. The skill players are there. The problem in Minnesota clearly resides under center. (Getty) More

Cousins’ critical mistake vs. Packers

It’s not the first big missed opportunity against a division rival for Cousins this season.

With a chance to take a late lead against the Packers in Week 2, he threw an inexcusable end-zone interception that sealed a victory for Green Bay.

Facing pressure on first-and-goal late in the fourth quarter, he floated a pass off his back foot up for grabs to the back of the end zone.

Packers cornerback Kevin King came down with it. It was the worst-case scenario on a first-down play that should have ended with a throw out of the back of the end zone to give his offense three more chances. Instead, the Packers held on for the 21-16 victory. Cousins finished the day completing 14 of 32 pass attempts for 230 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

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