John Matthews
WMAL.com
LANDOVER, MD — (WMAL) How’s that franchise tag looking now?
The Redskins declined to sign Kirk Cousins to a long-term deal after his strong finish in the 2015 season because they feared he could not sustain the performance that made him the NFL’s most accurate passer last season. They wanted another “prove it” season out of the young veteran quarterback.
So far, Cousins is far from proving it. His ineptitude – momentary or not – helped the Redskins’ biggest rival leave Landover with a 27 – 23 win over the Redskins Sunday.
On a day when Cousins missed receivers several times on what could have been touchdowns, he saved his worst for last – tossing an interception into the end zone on a drive that could have given Washington a 10-point lead with 10 minutes left in the game.
Instead, trailing 23 – 20, Dallas rookie quarterback Dak Prescott followed Cousins’ pick with an 11-play, 80-yard drive that culminated with a touchdown – one made even worse for Redskins fans because of who scored it – former Washington running back Alfred Morris on a 4-yard dash into the end zone.
“It was the same as any other game, just excited for the opportunity, excited to do what I love to do,” Morris said. “People probably think I’m joking when I say that, but from the bottom of my heart, I have no hard feelings for the Redskins or the organization.”
The Redskins, meanwhile, have a lot more to worry about than hosting unwanted family reunions. They need to fix their quarterback.
Cousins’ had been riding a nine-game streak of completing more than 65-percent of his passes – one short of an NFL record – but that came to an end on Sunday. Cousins finished 28 of 46 for 364 yards, and one of those completions did include a needle-threading touchdown pass to Jamison Crowder that was reminiscent of Cousins’ best days in 2015.
However, Cousins also missed badly, overthrowing a wide-open DeSean Jackson in one case, and underthrowing Pierre Garcon in the end zone for what should have been touchdowns in both cases.
Cousins knows he messed up.
“This is a quarterback-driven league,” Cousins said. “I need to play at a high level, week in and week out.”
The Redskins now find themselves at the bottom of the NFC East with an 0-2 record after being handed the gift of two home games to open the season. They will travel to the Meadowlands next Sunday to face another division rival, the New York Giants, in a match that could effectively end the competitive portion of their 2016 campaign before it even gets to October.
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