Redskins Went Far In 2015, But Rodgers Shows How Much Farther They Have To Go

John Matthews
WMAL.com

LANDOVER, MD — (WMAL) In a season where his own personal growth as a quarterback led the Redskins to a surprise division title and playoff appearance, Kirk Cousins learned another valuable lesson Sunday.

He’s no Aaron Rodgers.

Rodgers, the perennial NFL MVP candidate who struggled during the season’s second half to get his team to the post-season, showed the world he is still a force to be reckoned with, taking over the game with ease as his Green Bay Packers defeated the Redskins at Fed Ex Field, 35 – 18.

After opening the game by spotting Washington the first 11 points, Rodgers and company responded with a quick no-huddle offense that finally found its rhythm, scoring 17 unanswered points to take a 17 – 11 lead at the half.

Cousins gamely tried to show the Packers his team could keep pace, opening the second half with a nifty 9-play, 73 yard drive that ended with Cousins running into the end zone untouched on a 3-yard quarterback draw to give the Redskins an 18 – 17 lead. By then, unfortunately, Green Bay’s running game – had found its way. The Packers responded with two consecutive scoring drives, featuring long runs by Packers backs Eddie Lacy and James Starks.

“We got the tempo up, and they couldn’t keep up,” said Rodgers, who finished 21 for 36 for 210 yards and no turnovers. “We became a snowball, kind of going downhill, and it was tough for us to stop.”

Despite playing a banged-up Green Bay offensive line, which used a center at left tackle for the first time in his career, the Redskins could not generate a pass rush, and were held to just one sack for the game. Without any pressure on him, Rodgers moved his team downfield with ease.

“They just kept trucking,” safety DeAngelo Hall said. “They just kept their foot on the pedal.”

Green Bay’s clock-chewing drives left the Redskins down by 14 with 12 minutes left, but Washington was unable to respond, going three-and-out on their following drive, and seeing their final two drives of the game end on downs.

“I mean, it’s a little sick feeling any time you lose a game at the end of the year, not matter when it is,” Redskins coach Jay Gruden said. “The opportunities we had out there today — it makes you ill.”

Cousins , whose play included a 24-yard second quarter touchdown pass to Jordan Reed, finished 29 of 46 for 329 yards.

Cousins’ day was not bad, and he is still in line to collect a huge payday in the off-season, but if there’s one thing that was made clear Sunday, it’s that it will take more than just being paid like Aaron Rodgers to actually PLAY like Aaron Rodgers.

“I’m hoping for an opportunity to be the guy here for a long time and hopefully build on this season,” Cousins said after the game. For now, Cousins is a free agent, though his agent is expected to start work on a lucrative long-term deal with the team soon.

The Redskins can now start work on re-building the team for 2016. Sunday’s loss will surely be a road map for what the team needs, starting with a better pass rush and retooling throughout the defense.

On the offensive side of the ball, there’s plenty of work to be done as well, but only after the team parts ways with quarterback Robert Griffin III. The 2012 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback will almost certainly be cut by a March 9th deadline, so the team can avoid paying out a $16 Million option for next season.

Elsewhere, General Manager Scot McCloughan will need to make a decision on running back. Alfred Morris picked the wrong year to have the worst output of his career, and the team could let him go now that his cap-friendly rookie contract is over. Receivers Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson are both entering the final year of their contracts, and together count for about 20 million dollars against the team’s salary cap, so McCloughan will have to decide whether to keep either – or both – of those weapons.

There will be plenty of time in the coming weeks to make those decisions. For now, though, there’s time for reflection after a pleasantly-surprising winning season.

“This stings right now, but I think we’re building something big now,” said Gruden. “We just have to keep our heads up.”