When the hometown Los Angeles Rams take the field for Super Bowl 56 on Sunday at SoFi Stadium, Matthew Stafford will make NFL history. Win or lose, the 34-year-old quarterback is going to break records for most passing yards and passing touchdowns by a player making his first Super Bowl appearance. The result of playing 12 seasons with the underachieving Detroit Lions.
For more than a decade, Stafford's talents weren't utilized by Detroit. But he's now one win away from hoisting a Lombardi Trophy and reshaping his legacy. And former Minnesota Vikings defensive back Patrick Peterson believes that quarterback Kirk Cousins -- who's also trying to reach new playoff heights -- is cut from a similar cloth.
"Kirk Cousins and Matthew Stafford are the most underrated quarterbacks in this league," Peterson told The Zach Gelb Show on Friday. "Matt isn't more underappreciated now because he's around more talent and can get the ball to different places, other than Calvin Johnson. But Kirk has that same ability. He throws well on the run, moving out of the pocket. Has some of the best accuracy percentages. Strong arm, can get the ball wherever on the field.
"But he hasn't won any playoff games. Same thing with Matt -- he just hadn't been around a well-rounded, talented team. And now that he is, he's playing in the Super Bowl. If we can get him and Kevin [O'Connell] on the same page, with Kevin coming from the Rams, coming to Minnesota, it's kind of like the same offensive flare. You have the same talent... He's definitely a franchise quarterback, and his numbers speak for themselves over the last two years."
According to an ESPN report, Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell -- the soon-to-be-hired head coach of the Vikings, endorsed Cousins for 2022. During his interview process, O'Connell reportedly "conveyed a firm belief" in him, which suggests that the organization will at least try to keep Cousins for the foreseeable future. O'Connell also worked with Cousins during the 2017 campaign, as his quarterbacks coach with the Washington Commanders.
Cousins, whose total cap hit was $31 million this past season, has struggled to lift the Vikings in primetime settings. But the 33-year-old still managed to throw for 4,221 yards with 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2021, which makes him a quarterback worth playing. Of course, the glaring issue with Cousins is his $45 million cap hit for next year, which accounts for 21-percent of Minnesota's total cap.
The entire football conversation between Peterson and Gelb can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow The Zach Gelb Show on Twitter @ZachGelb and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.