Kirk Cousins and the Washington Redskins had a lot to live up to entering the Monday night showcase game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Courtesy: WTOP.com
Last season we witnessed Cousins develop into a great quarterback. He catapulted to stardom. He broke numerous franchise records and helped make the Redskins NFC East champions. Cousins reward–a hefty pay raise and a 1-year franchise tag at $19,9 million. It’s a strategy commonly seen across the NFL, that is, prove you’re worth a lengthy contract.
But on Monday against the Steelers, Cousins appeared rusty and mediocre. Cousins looked a more like the Cousins of old, not the “You Like That!?” quarterback DC has come to love.
But the record shows that Cousins had ups and downs in 2015. Through the first 6 weeks he was Dr. Jekyll–going 151 of 228 (66.2%) for 1420 yards along with 6 TDs and 8 INTs (for a 77.3 QBR). After Week 6 Cousins became Mr. Hyde–throwing for 2746 yards and going 228 of 315 (72,3%) with 23 TDs and just 3 INTs (for a 119 QBR).
Cousins struggled to come into his own last season but, once he did, he became a dangerous quarterback. Fans and pundits alike believed we would see THAT Kirk Cousins Monday night. Instead, we saw poor judgement throws and an offense that struggled to gain steam.
Courtesy: wgmd.com
Cousins finished the game going 30 of 43 for 329 yards and 2 (bad) interceptions. “We just need to play better in every different way,” Cousins said. “The same old things we have to do in every game–protect the football, avoid penalties, convert third downs, convert fourth downs, take advantage of opportunities….That’s what you have to do when you’re playing a great team or an average team.”
Pittsburgh’s zone scheme forced Cousins to take what the defense gave him, which was very little. Cousins did have positive production in certain areas. For one thing, he connected with 8 different receivers. DeSean Jackson hauled in 6 receptions of those for 102 yards. He was one of the few bright spots in Washington’s disappointing loss.
Cornerback Josh Norman summed up the night perfectly: “They took us behind the woodshed today and wore our tail out. It was a good, old-fashioned butt whooping.”
Courtesy: larrybrownsports.com
As for Cousins and the remainder of the 2016 season, I anticipate a lot of adjustments/improvements. Great expectations can lead to great disappointments, but you can’t write off a season after one game. The Redskins are a resilient bunch and they’ve proved they can overcome adversity.
This loss left a bad a taste. The quickest way to make that go away? Win.
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