Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

Vikings' Justin Jefferson blasts critics who make 'jokes' about Kirk Cousins

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 12/29/22

Minnesota Vikings star wide receiver Justin Jefferson has once again blasted critics of quarterback Kirk Cousins.

"Everybody wants to make jokes about him," Jefferson said about Cousins on Thursday, as shared by Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "Always want to talk about him. But his numbers are showing differently. I don’t really want to talk too much on it, but he’s doing whatever he needs to do in order for his team to win and we’re definitely standing behind him."

Jefferson made his comments after he took to Twitter late Wednesday night/early Thursday morning to respond to an ESPN "First Take" segment that mentioned Cousins could be considered a "weakness" as it pertains to Minnesota being a legitimate Super Bowl contender:

All of the Kirk criticism has to stop!! I understand y’all hate the dad swag but come on his numbers are right with y’all’s MVP candidates https://t.co/GOuT4DqwP8
— JJETS✈️ (@JJettas2) December 29, 2022

Cousins and Jefferson helped the Vikings claim the NFC North crown and reach an overall record of 12-3 heading into this Sunday's game at the 7-8 Green Bay Packers. According to ESPN, Cousins enters Week 17 fifth in the league with 4,117 passing yards and tied for fourth with 27 touchdowns through the air. The 34-year-old is ranked 20th among qualified passers with a 51.0 total QBR.

Meanwhile, Jefferson leads the NFL with 123 catches and 1,756 receiving yards. He also has eight touchdown grabs.

Earlier this month, Cousins was named among "generally underrated" NFL players by multiple analytics staffers. On Monday, NFL Network’s Kyle Brandt argued that Cousins deserves more recognition in Most Valuable Player discussions.

Per Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Cousins has already tied an NFL single-season record with eight fourth-quarter comebacks on the campaign. Matthew Stafford first produced eight fourth-quarter comebacks with the Detroit Lions during the 2016 season.

Cousins potentially could leapfrog Stafford in that category against either the Packers or the Chicago Bears (3-12) on Jan. 8.

More must-reads: