Kirk Cousins has demonstrated the ability to break down football's Xs and Os in front of the media. He spent time as a member of CBS's pre-game crew during the playoffs, showing his potential future in the industry.
And has continued that on the Friends From Work podcast by explaining how the Seattle Seahawks shut down the Atlanta Falcons' offense in the early-December matchup.
He explains how Mike Macdonald's Super Bowl-winning defense revolutionized how he plays the quarterback position.
The Seahawks were playing a mix of two-high man and single-high man with a hole player dropping down to make plays in the middle of the field late. On the snap, the hole player is staying back, but, as Cousins explains, around the time he throws the ball, that player has become a middle-of-the-field roamer.
It messed everything up for Cousins; suddenly, everything he thought was going to happen changed. It explains why he struggled so much against the eventual champions.
Kirk Cousins explains what makes Mike Macdonald's defense such a nightmare to go up against
The Falcons and Seahawks were tied 6-6 at halftime, with both teams making a field goal in each of the two quarters.
Then the floodgates opened immediately out of the locker room. The struggling Falcons special teams allowed a 100-yard Rashid Shaheed kick return touchdown, which led to the Seahawks offense figuring out the Falcons' defense, and the Falcons' offense continued to struggle in the 37-9 loss.
Cousins finished the game 15-for-30 for 162 yards and two interceptions.
On the ground, Bijan Robinson finished with 20 carries for 86 yards with a long of 11 and a lost fumble, and Tyler Allgeier had 11 carries for 34 yards with a long of 9. The offense finished with 274 yards, zero touchdowns, three field goals, three turnovers, and averaged a pathetic 4.4 yards per play.
Zac Robinson called screen passes ad nauseam because it became clear that his quarterback couldn't get anything done through the air, and the run game wasn't producing. Macdonald's defense continued their aggression and smacked the Dirty Birds in their own home.
The Seahawks rode that defense all the way through Super Bowl LX, ending in their second championship in franchise history. In the big game, they played a New England Patriots team that could barely beat the Falcons. The difference in that game was a missed Parker Romo PAT.
For Cousins, a performance as he had against the unique Seahawks defense will temporarily leave him without a job within the next month. The team that he signed a $180 million contract with just two years ago will cut him.