A brief history of Vikings QB Kirk Cousins vs. 49ers

The 49ers face an old friend, Kirk Cousins, on Monday Night Football in Week 7. Niner Noise explores the history he's had against San Francisco.

There has been no shortage of rumors and suggestions that veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins will somehow make his way to the San Francisco 49ers, reuniting with his former offensive coordinator, Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan, after the two spent the early portion of Cousins' career back with the Washington Redskins.

With Cousins unlikely to return to his current team, the Minnesota Vikings, in 2024, such rumors are probably going to stick around even longer despite the fact Shanahan seems to have his quarterback in second-year pro Brock Purdy.

But that's a topic for another time.

Instead, Cousins and the 2-4 Vikings are preparing to host Purdy and the Niners on Monday Night Football in Week 7, and it's imminent the discussion during the game will mention how Shanahan wanted Cousins on San Francisco's roster at multiple points dating back to 2017 when he became head coach.

For now, Shanahan and the 49ers will want nothing more than to make Cousins look bad in prime time.

Prior to Monday, how has Cousins fared against the Niners over the course of his career?

Let's take a look.

History of Kirk Cousins vs. 49ers: Wins and losses, stats and numbers

Cousins, a fourth-round NFL Draft pick by Washington in 2012, has faced San Francisco three times in the regular season and once in the playoffs.

His first start against the 49ers was back in 2017 when he was with Washington, a game the Niners lost 26-24. In that contest, Cousins went 25-of-37 for 330 yards with two touchdowns, an interception and a 102.3 passer rating while being sacked once.

After joining the Vikings on a free-agent deal in 2018, Cousins again helped beat San Francisco in that year's regular-season opener, tossing 244 yards and two touchdowns en route to the 36-20 victory.

Cousins and the Vikings lost his third regular-season start against the 49ers in 2021, though, despite him tossing two touchdowns against an interception.

Over those three regular-season tilts, Cousins' stat lines were as follows:

• 65-of-105 passing (61.9 percent)
• 812 yards passing
• Six touchdowns against two interceptions
• 97.0 passer rating
• Five sacks

Kirk Cousins postseason performance vs. 49ers

Cousins has faced the Niners in the playoffs just once, a divisional-round matchup back in 2020 when San Francisco was en route to the Super Bowl.

The 49ers dominated Cousins in nearly every fashion, limiting him to just 172 yards passing with a touchdown against an interception while sacking him a whopping six times in a game the Niners won 27-10 to advance to the NFC Championship game.

As for his next contest, he and Minnesota will kick off against San Francisco on Monday, Oct. 23 at 8:15 p.m. ET from US Bank Stadium.

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