LANDOVER, Md. 鈥� It was a scene we’re not accustomed to in Washington anymore. On Sunday, the Redskins dominated an opponent in a meaningful December game at FedEx Field. The ‘Skins shot out to a 21-0 lead, the quarterback scored a total of five touchdowns, and the crowd was worked into a frenzy and聽 all the way to the end of a 35-25 victory over the Buffalo Bills.
On the same day we heard reports that former franchise savior , Cousins聽put together another brilliant performance and聽made a lot of team history in the process. His efficient 319 yard, 4 TD was his franchise-record聽sixth 300-yard passing game this season,聽and his 14th straight game with a TD pass. The last Redskins QB to do that? Sonny Jurgenson in 1967.
Cousins has also completed a Redskins-record 336 passes (and counting). His near-perfect聽153.7 QB rating on Sunday was his fourth straight game with a triple-digit rating聽and his sixth such game in his last eight. The only two sub-100 rating games came in Carolina and New England 鈥� road games against teams that聽were both undefeated at the time.
The truth of the matter is, Cousins is one of the hottest QBs in the league right now. In his last eight games, he’s completed 185 of 254 passes (72.8 percent) for 2,205 yards, tossing聽16 TDs to only 3 INTs. And that’s with an almost nonexistent run game; his聽five rushing TDs are more than leading rushers Alfred Morris (1) and Matt Jones (3) combined.
Up against the rest of the league, his numbers still stand out. Kirk’s聽69.7 completion percentage is the league’s best among regular starters. Both his QB rating (97.2) and passing yards (3,625) rank eighth among regular starters. We can no longer say he’s an interception machine; this year he’s thrown twice as many TDs (22)聽as picks (11).
Perhaps the most mind-boggling stat of all is how ridiculously聽great he’s been when playing in Landover: Kirk’s 74.7 completion percentage at home is the highest in NFL history, and his 117 QB rating at FedEx Field is the league’s best. It鈥檚 a huge reason why the 鈥楽kins 6-2 home record is their best since 2005 and has them just a win in Philly away from clinching the NFC East for the second time in four years.
Even if聽you don’t, the team certainly does. and preliminary contract talks have begun. So the question is no longer whether the Redskins should resign him, but rather how much they鈥檙e willing to spend. Each brilliant performance in a big game drives up his price tag, so a deep playoff run could actually force the Burgundy and Gold to pay him more like Matt Ryan ($20 million per year on average) than Andy Dalton ($16 million).
To quote the often eloquent Deion Sanders (eye roll), 鈥淧ay the man!鈥� We all know the Redskins have spent way more money for way less (I still have Albert Haynesworth nightmares), and Cousins deserves to get paid. He’s been clutch (ask Philly and Tampa), he’s been durable (which RGIII taught us matters a lot), and he’s聽steadily improving. Both his play and his leadership have served as聽the glue that’s held together the Redskins’ playoff hopes despite some organizational growing pains and a wicked rash of injuries.
Most聽impressively, Cousins has put together one of the all-time great statistical seasons in Redskins history on the fly.聽Remember: he was named the starter聽only about a week before the season. There’s no telling how much better his 2015 could have been if he had the benefit of a full offseason and training camp with the first team.
In the big picture, the Redskins appear to be on the brink of something special 鈥� no matter what happens in Philly on Saturday.聽Even the most optimistic ‘Skins聽fans had this team winning only six games this season and they’ve surpassed that with two games to go. I’ve already and Cousins聽has quickly and unexpectedly become the聽centerpiece of that movement. He’s thrived with playmakers DeSean Jackson and Jordan Reed healthy, and rookies Jones and Jamison Crowder have contributed immediately. If this offense is going to boldly go where no man has gone before (or at least since 1991), Captain Kirk needs to remain on the bridge.
Cousins would like that. The team would like that. Lord knows We all like it so it’s time to
And time to catch up on the .
