Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins was flawless in the win over Oakland. Can he sustain that moving forward?
The Washington Redskins dominated the Oakland Raiders on Sunday and quarterback Kirk Cousins was a major reason why. Cousins completed 25 of 30 passes for 365 yards and three touchdowns. Three of his incompletions were actually dropped by his receivers. Cousins was precise from start to finish and never panicked, even when it appeared the Raiders had gained the momentum.
One such sequence showed Cousins’ resilience. In the fourth quarter, after the Raiders had scored their first touchdown due to Jamison Crowder’s fumble deep in Washington territory, Cousins faced a third-and-19 situation.
The odds of converting in this situation are never good, especially for a Washington offense still trying to find its identity. Cousins dropped back, scanned the field and immediately spotted Chris Thompson to his left and fired an accurate pass allowing Thompson to pick up yards after the catch. Thompson almost scored on the play before running being tackled by David Amerson at the Oakland 10-yard line. Amerson had the angle or Thompson would have otherwise scored on the play.
How do you convert on 3rd and forever? Just give the ball to Chris Thompson pic.twitter.com/HtFuu0v0T4
— Mark Bullock (@MarkBullockNFL) September 25, 2017
That play essentially ended Oakland’s lone threat of the night. The Redskins ended up settling for a field goal, making it a three-score game in the fourth quarter.
On third down, Cousins completed 10 of 12 passes for 166 yards. Those are amazing numbers, especially considering Washington’s struggles on the money down over the first two weeks. Now begs the question, can he build off that performance?
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It won’t be easy facing Kansas City in Arrowhead Stadium next week. The Chiefs are arguably the NFL’s best team and playing in Arrowhead is always an arduous task for opposing teams. For Cousins, it’s all about confidence. A big reason for his slow starts is rhythm. Cousins is the type of quarterback who needs to get into a rhythm. When he does that, he’s lethal. When he doesn’t, he’s inaccurate and unsteady.
His first breakout performance of 2017 came at the perfect time. With the Redskins facing a possible 1-3 start before their bye, they needed a big win. They got with that with their rout of the Raiders. And for Cousins, he gained confidence, particularly with some of his receivers. The touchdown pass to Josh Doctson was not only big for the receiver, but also for Cousins. He needed to develop trust with the second-year receiver because he’s missed a lot of practice. Doctson rewarded him for the opportunity.
The hope now is Doctson has that monkey off his back and can develop into the consistent, No. 1 threat he was drafted to be.
Sunday’s performance was also big for Cousins because he performed that well without star tight end Jordan Reed. The quarterback trusts Reed as his security blanket and rightfully so. Cousins also has a strong rapport with veteran backup Vernon Davis. He showed that again in the win over Oakland.
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Consistency is what the Redskins need from Cousins. It’s one reason the team’s front office has been reluctant to give him a long-term at the rate he believes he’s worth. If he can string a few more performances together like he had on Sunday, he will get paid — and by the Redskins.