John Matthews
WMAL.com

LANDOVER, MD — (WMAL) Sunday at Fed Ex Field, the Redskins were at their bi-polar best, with sparks of flash and terror thrown in on both sides of the ball.

The Redskins beat the Cleveland Browns, 31 – 20, but the game played closer than the final score indicated, and Washington showed it has plenty more to work on if it is going to be competitive enough in 2016 to defend its 2015 NFC East title.

On offense, the team showed it could slice through the Cleveland Browns defense with ease, driving down field repeatedly and erasing an early-season challenge by going 4-for-4 in the Red Zone on three Kirk Cousins touchdown passes and a Matt Jones run.

The Red Zone success was in no small measure as a result of Jones, who turned in what was easily his strongest day of the season, rushing 22 times for 117 yards.

“It’s hard for a running back to get in the flow of a game with six attempts'” said Coach Jay Gruden. “With the type of game that we had today, we were able to give him more carries. He did a good job and took advantage of it.”

Jones’ running allowed the Redskins to open up the passing game, which was highlighted by Kirk Cousins’ 9 completions to Tight End Jordan Reed, including a pair of first-half touchdowns.

BUT – despite completing 21 of 27 passes for 183 yards and three touchdowns, Cousins still managed to play far short of the late-2015 model Kirk Cousins. The Redskins quarterback kept his completions short, and rarely tried to stretch downfield. He only attempted two passes longer than nine yards – one was incomplete, and the other was intercepted by Cleveland’s Jamar Taylor, setting up the Browns’ drive to tie the game at 14 in the second quarter.

“He played okay,” Gruden said. “There’s a couple of situational type things that we can’t do. We’ll coach him up. The more he plays, the more he’s going to do. . . . But he’s far from perfect. He’s never going to be perfect, but I think he’s made some good enough throws to get a big win against a good team.”

Cousins avoided making big mistakes after his interception, but he also cost the Redskins points in a bizarre fourth quarter sequence. With the Redskins leading, 24 – 20 and driving at the Cleveland 32, Cousins took a pair of sacks to drop the Skins out of field goal range, forcing Tress Way to punt instead.

The failed drive threatened to shift momentum in Cleveland’s favor, but the self-proclaimed world’s best cornerback, Josh Norman, managed to steal the spotlight by picking off a Cody Kessler pass to put the ball back in the hands of the Redskins offense, which quickly put the game out of reach. Matt Jones ran three times in four plays to score on a one-yard run to stretch the Skins’ lead to 11 points with 4:25 to go.

The defense did come up big in the second half, forcing turnovers on three straight Cleveland possessions, allowing the offense to put the game away.

BUT – Joe Barry’s unit also produced its own share of nightmares on the day, allowing the Browns to run with ease – 163 yards rushing, at 5.8 yards a clip. The defense also helped Kessler look like a Pro-Bowler in his second career start, converting 8 of 12 third down attempts on the day, and keeping the Browns alive throughout the afternoon.

“We still have a long way to go, a lot to correct, but we showed up when we needed to,” linebacker and defensive signal-caller Will Compton said.

One positive note for one of the Skins’ defensive stars – Josh Norman produced his first interception of the season, stepping in front of a pass to the Browns’ Terrell Pryor to set up the game’s final score. The play may be remembered more for its celebration than its impact on the game, however.

Norman was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct when he stepped to the sideline, drew an imaginary arrow out of an imaginary quiver on his back and fired an imaginary arrow with an imaginary bow. What happened next really happened, though – Referee Jeff Triplette flagged Norman for Unsportsmanlike Conduct.

“I thought they were gonna warn me this time, too. Else, I wouldn’t have done it!” Norman explained later, “I step to the [sidelines], thinking I’d be okay. But they caught me,” he added.

The Redskins finish the quarter-mark with a 2-2 record, keeping their season alive, if not exactly yet thriving. They will get another change to show growth or shrinkage on the road on Sunday, but at least they won’t have to travel far. Washington will play at Baltimore, where the Ravens suffered their first loss of the year Sunday – a 28-27 squeaker to the Raiders.

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