The Washington Redskins almost have more losses in a row than the amount of turnovers they had in their Week 15 game. The team dropped their sixth straight game to the Atlanta Falcons Sunday, 27-26. In the battle of 3-win teams, Washington turned the ball over seven times. It was a comedy of errors at one point in the second quarter that consisted of three consecutive fumbles between each team.
The Washington Redskins had 233 more total yards than the Falcons. However, the game still came down to the final seconds, mainly due to the fact Washington was in a “giving spirit.” Alfred Morris had two fumbles — although uncharacteristic for him this season, he had four his rookie year and at least five in each of his final three seasons at Florida Atlantic. It shouldn’t be reason for concern. But he’s definitely had issues with ball security in the past.
Second year QB Kirk Cousins received his second start Sunday after Mike Shanahan and company decided to shut Robert Griffin III down for the remainder of the season. Good or bad, I’ve maintained all week that all this does is create more unnecessary noise around the team. If Cousins plays well, people will believe he’s better than Griffin and create a QB controversy. If he plays bad, his trade value goes down. When measuring risk-reward, I believe it’s a lose-lose for the Washington Redskins.
In the first half, Cousins flashed greatness completing – 13 of 20 passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns. He did have a fumble, but that was mostly attributed to Washington’s interior line collapsing. Cousins was decisive. He made quick decisions. The Redskins took advantage of a struggling Falcons’ secondary that was full of rookies and backups.
In the second half, however, the Falcons’ defense made adjustments. It’s been proven throughout the tenure of Washington’s coaching staff that they lack counter punches. That was again on display Sunday.
Kirk Cousins went 16/25, 133 yards, 1 TD and 2 INTs in the second half. Cousins made a few poor decisions and throws, but was able to lead the team on what could have been a game-winning drive. After a 3-yard TD pass to Santana Moss with 22 seconds remaining in the game, Washington opted to go for a two point conversion down 27-26. I don’t think many people wanted to see two struggling football teams head into overtime. But it’s always a questionable decision when the play doesn’t work out and you lose the game. Shanahan has done this in the past. But it did seem a little greedy for a team that hasn’t accomplished much this season.
One issue that’s coming up with Kirk Cousins is he’s building a reputation of being a streaky football player. He’s either really good or turning the football over. It’s almost Rex Grossman esque. I understand with exception of his two career starts, he’s been put in tough situations playing late in games for various reasons. But that’s the job of a backup quarterback. When potential trade partners sit and evaluate Cousins they’ll see a stat line that currently consists of 7 total touchdowns and 7 interceptions. With the low success rate of QB trades, these things are important and one of the reasons I believe it’s a lose-lose for the Redskins with him starting. The Redskins were getting a 2nd round pick max for Cousins even if he lit-it-up in the final three games. What he’s putting on film is a lot of good, but he’s building a reputation of being a guy who turns the football over at least once every time he plays. This is something that was also an issue for him at Michigan State.
Washington’s defense played decent considering the fact they turned the ball over seven times. LB Brian Orakpo has been racking up sacks late this season in what is the final year of his contract. With 1.5 sacks against Atlanta, ‘Rak reached the 10-sack mark in a season for the first time since his rookie year in 2009 (11.0). I also thought LB Perry Riley, who is also playing for a new contract, had a good game. He was flying all over the place and had a touchdown-saving tackle.
Game Notes:
- The Redskins held the Falcons to 3.92 yards per play (243 yards on 62 offensive plays), the team’s lowest since allowing 3.62 yards per play to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 11 last season.
- Pierre Garçon now has 96 receptions this season, the second-most in a season in team history, trailing only Pro Football Hall of Famer Art Monk’s 106 receptions in 1984.
- Pierre Garçon and Pittsburgh’s Antonio Brown are the only player in the NFL to post at least five receptions in 14 games this season.
- Alfred Morris now has 2,738 rushing yards in his first two NFL seasons, 12th most for a player in his first two seasons in NFL history.
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