In the not-so-recent past, the Washington Redskins were a franchise in search for consistency at the quarterback position. However, with the way current quarterback Kirk Cousins has been playing, those days are over. Unless it has a better option, it would be smart for the Burgundy and Gold front office to think seriously about a long-term deal for the the former Spartan.
As with most quarterbacks, Cousins is heavily scrutinized for his mistakes in the passing game. Even with the occasional miscue however, he controls the offense and makes accurate throws. More importantly, he is a solid leader of men and has the respect of his teammates.
During the team’s last game against the Minnesota Vikings, he led a go-ahead fourth-quarter drive for the third straight game. This he accomplished without his Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams and one of the team’s more lethal weapons in WR DeSean Jackson.
This was the sixth time in Washington’s nine games this season that he has orchestrated comeback drives, slinging the rock at a high level.
The Michigan State product completed 22 of 33 passes for 262 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in the 26-20 win over the Vikings.
At the beginning of this season, Cousins appeared to be playing with a heavy weight on his shoulders, looking uncomfortable in the pocket and afraid of making a mistake. But as the year has progressed, he has looked better and better.
“I had high expectations for myself and sometimes they were a bit unrealistic,” the QB said in a postgame interview with Hall of Fame DB/WR Deion Sanders of the NFL Network. “You can’t be a perfectionist. The game is imperfect and you’re not going to play perfect[ly]. Giving myself some grace and allowing myself to make mistakes, I think, has helped.”
Since last season’s October game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cousins’ numbers have been solid; completing 487 passes out of 702 attempts (a respectable 69 percent completion rate), 39 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, a QB rating of 106.4 and a 12-6-1 record.
The tape and the numbers don’t lie. The Redskins have asked him to throw more this year than he has in the past and he has answered the call. Cousins certainly has things that he can improve upon but the signal-caller has more than proven that he is the leader that the Washington Redskins need. Only time will tell if the entire organization agrees.