After being called out by Adam Thielen for his performance in the Minnesota Vikings' 16- 6 loss on Sunday to the Chicago Bears, Kirk Cousins has apologized to his teammate.

“I really want to apologize to [Thielen] because there’s too many opportunities where we could have hit him on Sunday,” Cousins told KFAN, via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, “and postgame when I talk to the media I always say, ‘Hey, until I watch the film it’s hard for me to really give you a straight answer.’

“Well, now it’s Tuesday night. I’ve watched the film and the reality is there were opportunities for [Thielen]. The one that’s most obvious is the third-and-10 at the beginning of the game. We’re near midfield. That’s arguably seven points. If you put the ball where it needs to be he’s shown . . . that he will make that play and he’ll probably finish the play in the end zone and pull away from the defender.

“Adam’s not just a really good player or one of the best players on the Vikings, he’s one of the best players in the NFL, one of the best players in the world, period, regardless of position. And so we want to, we need to, I need to get him more opportunities. Get him the football.”

Cousins went 27-for-36 (75 per cent) against the Bears, but threw for just 233 yards with no touchdowns. His outing against Chicago was the fourth straight game this season that Cousins threw for less than 250 yards.

Thielen, who caught just two passes for six yards against the Bears and has just 179 yards on the season, shared his displeasure with Cousins’ play in a post-game session with the media following Sunday’s loss.

“At some point, you’re not going to be able to run the ball for 180 yards, even with the best running back in the NFL,” Thielen said. “That’s when you have to be able to throw the ball. . . . You have to be able to hit the deep balls.”

Expectations for the Vikings have been high since they signed Cousins to a fully guaranteed three-year, $84 million deal ahead of the 2018 season. At 2-2, Minnesota currently sits in last-place in the NFC North division standings.