Washington Redskins surging at the right time

The Washington Redskins defeated the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 38-24, the victory provides the Burgundy and Gold with the NFC East title, which guarantees them a home game in the first round of the NFL playoffs. The win is important on a multitude of levels, as the victory has allowed Kirk Cousins and company to build a three-game win streak, one in which includes two victories on the road.

The winning streak has undoubtedly been great for Cousins and the team, their level of play has been phenomenal as of late. Earlier in the season, I wrote that he’s the the type of player that gets hot, and capitalizes on high morale and recent success. With the level of play and confidence that Captain Kirk has be exuding as of late, I think that it’s safe to say that I was right in my assessment at the time.

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Since around halftime of their week seven bout against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kirk Cousins and the Redskins have been playing great football, winning 66% of their games. The impressive run started with an unlikely Washington win against Tampa Bay, a game in which the Redskins came back and won on the shoulders of Cousins – he tallied 33 completions, 317 yards and three touchdowns on the day.

Since the 4:26 mark in the second quarter of Washington’s game against the Buccaneers, Kirk Cousins has been scary good. He has thrown for 20 touchdowns and only three interceptions, and he has done so while completing nearly 70% of his passes and regularly throwing for more than 300 yards.

His numbers are impressive, but his strong play will likely be overshadowed by his bone headed kneel at the end of the second quarter. While the play was unquestionably horrible, it was a positive sign that he was able to shake it off and come out firing in the second half. It was a silly mistake that didn’t come back to haunt Washington, and it’s something that we can pretty much guarantee will never happen again.

Cousins is surging, and so are the Washington Redskins. I get the feeling that they are capable of making some noise in the playoffs, especially if they defeat the Dallas Cowboys in week 17 on the road. A win over the Cowboys would extend their win-streak to four, and would set them up with some momentum for their playoff game at FedEx Field in the wild card round.

With three straight wins in the bag and a game against a weak NFC East foe on the road, a week 17 win could provide the Redskins with the formula for success come playoff time. They’ll be able to hang their heads high with four straight wins, and will get an opponent at home for the first game of the playoffs.

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Seeing as how they’re 6-2 at home this season, I don’t think it’s crazy to think that they can walk away with a victory in that contest. If they’re able to do that, it isn’t out of the question to think that their momentum can carry them throughout the playoffs. I’m not saying they’re going to win the Super Bowl or even the Conference championship, but I am saying that they have a chance.

Prior to the start of the season, they were given a 2.8% chance of winning the NFC East. As unlikely as it was, the Washington Redskins managed to do so, and they did so with a patchwork roster, an unproven quarterback and a heavily scrutinized head coach. Odds are Washington won’t win the Super Bowl, but as this team has proven all season long, odds don’t mean much to them.