It was October 25, 2015. The Washington Redskins—now the Commanders—were trailing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by 24 points. It looked like another disaster in a long line of disasters for the D.C. franchise. Then, Kirk Cousins happened. He led the biggest comeback in the team's storied history, throwing for 317 yards and three touchdowns. As he marched into the locker room tunnel, red-faced and fueled by pure adrenaline, he screamed four words at a local Comcast SportsNet camera: "YOU LIKE THAT!"
He wasn't just happy. He was vindicated.
Honestly, at the time, people thought it was a fluke. A one-off meme that would die by Tuesday. Instead, you like that became a cultural touchstone in the NFL that refuses to go away. It’s been ten years, and we are still talking about it. Why? Because it captured something rare in professional sports: a moment of unscripted, dorky, raw emotion from a quarterback who everyone loved to doubt.
The Afternoon That Changed Everything
Kirk Cousins has always been an enigma. He’s the "Kohls's Cash" king. He’s the guy who grills steaks on aluminum foil. Before that game in 2015, the narrative was that he was just a placeholder for Robert Griffin III. The fans were restless. The media was brutal.
When he yelled you like that, he wasn't talking to the fans. He was talking to the reporters who spent all week saying he shouldn't be a starter. It was a "told you so" delivered with the intensity of a man who just survived a shipwreck.
The clip went viral before "going viral" was an automated science. It wasn't polished. It wasn't a brand activation. It was a guy in a sweaty jersey screaming at a camera lens. That's why it worked. In an era where players are media-trained to death, saying "we just played hard and took it one game at a time," Cousins gave us something human.
The phrase took on a life of its own almost immediately. The team started printing t-shirts. The proceeds went to International Justice Mission, a charity Cousins supports. It became a rallying cry. But more than that, it became the blueprint for the "Kirk Cousins Experience"—a mix of high-level production and accidental comedy.
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Why the Meme Actually Matters for NFL Branding
NFL marketing is usually a top-down affair. The league decides what’s cool. But you like that was bottom-up. It was organic.
Marketing experts often point to this moment as a shift in how players interact with social media. Suddenly, every player wanted their own "catchphrase" moment. We saw it later with Jameis Winston's "Eating a W" (which, let's be honest, was way weirder) and Lamar Jackson's "Not bad for a running back."
Cousins accidentally created a personal brand that made him relatable. He wasn't the cool guy. He was the guy who got excited about a comeback win and yelled something your dad might yell after successfully fixing the dishwasher.
The "You Like That" Legacy in Minnesota and Atlanta
When Cousins moved to the Minnesota Vikings, the phrase followed him. It wasn't just a Washington thing anymore. It became a Kirk thing. Whenever he had a big game—like the 2019 playoff win against the New Orleans Saints—the world waited for it.
He did it again in the locker room after that Saints game. "YOU LIKE THAT!" It felt like a sequel. Sometimes sequels suck, but this one felt earned. It proved that the 2015 moment wasn't a character he was playing. That is just who Kirk Cousins is when the pads are on.
Now that he's with the Atlanta Falcons, the ghost of the phrase still lingers. When the Falcons signed him to a massive four-year, $180 million deal, the internet didn't lead with his completion percentage. They led with the memes. They led with the chains he wore on the plane with the Vikings. They led with the catchphrase.
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It’s a reminder that in the NFL, personality sells tickets just as much as touchdowns do.
The Nuance of the "You Like That" Criticism
Not everyone loves it, though. Some old-school scouts and analysts, like former NFL players turned pundits, have occasionally mocked the phrase as "corny." They see it as a symbol of a quarterback who is good but not "elite." They argue that elite QBs like Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes don't need a catchphrase; they have rings.
There is some truth to the idea that the meme sometimes overshadows the play. Cousins has been one of the most statistically consistent quarterbacks of the last decade. He’s put up numbers that rival the greats. Yet, the "corny" label sticks.
But maybe that’s the point. The NFL is entertainment. We want heroes, we want villains, and we want the guys who are just happy to be there. Cousins fits a specific niche of the "everyman" who happens to have an absolute cannon for an arm.
Lessons From a Viral Moment
If you're looking at this from a branding or even a personal growth perspective, there are a few things to take away from the you like that phenomenon.
First, authenticity beats polish every time. If Kirk had planned that line, it wouldn't have worked. It worked because he looked like he was about to pop a vein in his neck.
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Second, lean into the joke. Cousins didn't run away from the meme when people started making fun of him. He embraced it. He used it for charity. He made it part of his identity. When you own the narrative, it’s a lot harder for people to use it against you.
Third, timing is everything. A 24-point comeback is the perfect stage. If he had said it after a blowout win against a winless team, nobody would have cared.
How to Use the "Cousins Method" in Real Life
- Don't over-curate your public image. People can smell a "calculated" moment from a mile away. If you're excited about a win at work, show it.
- Capitalize on momentum. When the phrase took off, Cousins' team moved fast to turn it into something positive (the charity t-shirts). If you have a "win," don't just sit on it.
- Acknowledge the skeptics. Part of the power of the phrase was that it was a direct response to criticism. Don't ignore your doubters; let them fuel your performance, then give them your version of you like that.
Kirk Cousins might never win a Super Bowl. He might end his career as the guy who was "pretty good for a long time." But he gave us one of the most enduring pieces of NFL folklore in the modern era. He reminded us that football is supposed to be fun, loud, and occasionally a little bit dorky.
Next time you achieve something you weren't supposed to, don't be afraid to yell it. The world might just yell it back.
Actionable Insights for Navigating High-Pressure Moments:
- Harness Righteous Anger: Like Cousins in 2015, use professional slights as fuel for performance rather than letting them cause a spiral.
- Transcend the Meme: If you become known for a specific trait or "moment," integrate it into your professional brand rather than fighting it.
- Focus on the Rebound: The "You Like That" game was about the comeback, not the start. The narrative of your project or career is defined by how you finish, not how you lagged in the second quarter.
- Humanize Your Wins: In any industry, showing genuine emotion creates a deeper connection with your "audience" (clients, bosses, or fans) than a sterile, professional exterior.
The legacy of you like that isn't just a video clip. It's a reminder that even in a billion-dollar industry, the most powerful moments are the ones that aren't in the script.