This Kirk Cousins Stat Provides the Bears Plenty of Hope

The Chicago Bears watched their playoff hopes receive a much-needed jolt on Monday night. This came courtesy of the Seattle Seahawks beating the Minnesota Vikings in a 37-30 thriller. Kirk Cousins once again couldn't deliver in primetime. That loss opens the door to the playoffs. Not very wide, mind you. Enough though. The Bears need to win out the rest of the year to finish 10-6 and the Vikings would have to lose two more games in order to have matching records with them. At that point, Chicago would hold the tiebreaker for the wild card spot.

Cousins wasn't the primary issue in that game. He threw for 276 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. It was more about the defense giving up 30 points and over 200 yards rushing. However, there is no question the pressure might fall increasingly on the quarterback in these remaining games. Running back Dalvin Cook is dealing with a serious clavicle injury that could limit his effectiveness down the stretch.

What makes this so interesting is a stat that was revealed about Cousins as a starter in the NFL. One that paints a clear picture of his reality and what it could mean for the Bears' playoff hopes.

Kirk Cousins has been the poster boy for average

It's rather amazing. Cousins has had some really good production in his career but for one reason or another, always finds himself somewhere between the seven and nine-win marks. Last year was no exception as the Vikings went 7-8-1. This season may not seem like it's headed that way despite the loss. Minnesota is still 8-4 and in a good position to continue their march to the playoffs. However, nothing is that easy.

Presuming the Bears defeat them in the season finale, the Vikings would have to win two of their remain three games to avoid a 9-7 record. One of those games will be against the Packers, which won't be easy. The other two will be the Lions and Chargers. So by rights, they should be able to reach 9-6 by the time Chicago comes to town, but give Cousins' track record one should expect weird things to start happening soon.