The Philadelphia Eagles opened as 1.5-point underdogs against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59. If the Kirk Cousins Curse has anything to say about it, the smart money is on the Chiefs.
The Cousins Curse suggests any team that loses to Cousins in the regular season cannot win a world championship. It’s a trend that covers the entirety of the veteran quarterback’s 13-year career, but began in earnest in 2016.
That year, the Green Bay Packers lost to an 8-7-1 Washington team. While Aaron Rodgers capped another stellar year by crushing the Dallas Cowboys’ title hopes into dust in the Divisional Round that January, Green Bay’s 44-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC title game ended their season (and paved the way for another curse thanks to Atlanta’s legendary and temporary 28-3 Super Bowl LI lead).
Since then, playoff teams who lose to Cousins in the regular season have consistently fallen short of the Vince Lombardi Trophy. It’s a curiosity that’s stung the Packers thrice — more than any other team in the league. Their hold on that record, however, will be put to the test at Super Bowl 59.
The Eagles have twice had their playoff runs ended by non-Cousins teams after losing regular season games to Cousins in 2018 and 2019. They tasted familiar defeat against the Falcons 22-21 back in September.
It should be noted that the one guaranteed way to insulate yourself from this curse — signing Kirk Cousins — has failed to yield measurable success. The veteran has one playoff win in a decade as a starter, fewer than rookie Jayden Daniels or second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud.
