The Washington Redskins Could Make Some Noise In The Playoffs

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If the Washington Redskins (7-7) are able to clinch a division title and make it to the playoffs, they shouldn’t be taken lightly. Washington is coming off maybe their most complete win of the season, defeating the Buffalo Bills 35-25. They are truly peaking at the absolute best time. With a win against the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday night, Washington will be able to clinch a playoff berth for the second time in four years.

Washington’s season has been labeled by many as very inconsistent. But in the team’s past eight games, they’re now 5-3. Most importantly, they’ve won two consecutive games for the first time this season. “As a coach, the whole idea of your team is you want to get stronger as the season goes on,” said Jay Gruden in his post game presser. “I feel like we had a lot of injuries early on and we’re getting some guys back. Guys are playing more together. We’re learning and starting to feel better about the system on both sides of the ball and special teams. I feel like we are getting stronger. Who knows what’s going to happen? We still have a lot of work to do. As long as we stay focused at the job at hand – and that’s Philadelphia – we’ll be OK.”

The Washington Redskins are a lot like the 2010 Seattle Seahawks — a team that entered the playoffs with a losing 7-9 record thanks to their putrid division. The Seahawks were considered, at the time, maybe the worst team to ever make the playoffs. But they went on to advance a round in the playoffs that year after defeating the Saints in the Wild Card game. That was the ground work of a team that went on to win a Super Bowl three years later.

The Redskins are better than that 2010 Seahawks team. In fact, Washington is better than their own 2012 Division Championship team. They have more offensive weapons and a slightly better defense with more young talent. Not to mention, a Quarterback who is healthy and peaking at the right time.

Kirk Cousins has 16 TDs, 3 INT and. 5 rushing TDs in the past eight games. But he’s coming off the most convincing game of his career against the Bills where he posted a stat-line of: 22-28, 319 yards, 4 passing and 1 rushing touchdowns. For Cousins, it’s been mostly about consistency. When it comes down to it, that’s really what separates a backup from a starter. Consistency won’t necessarily make you great, but it makes you trustworthy. That’s one of the most important traits you’d want from your starting QB.

Cousisn’ stat-line from the past eight games signals a change in his consistency level. But for me, it all started Sunday against the Bills. Cousins was in command, accurate and at times aggressive for a full game. That, in my opinion, hasn’t happened any other time this season — including the past eight games. It couldn’t have come at a better time for the Redskins. So now, the display of consistency has a chance to be shown in Philadelphia against the Eagles with the division championship on the line. It couldn’t be a bigger game for Cousins. 

When I think of Kirk Cousins, the first thing that comes to mind is “good enough.” That’s been my thought all season. But he may have forced me to look at him differently after the Bills game. I posed the question on Twitter earlier today, and as expected, I received a wide-range of answers. Here’s a few of the results:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unsurprisingly, there’s a lot of optimist, pessimists, and there’s even some who are on the fence. I think all three sides are justifiable and that is why Cousins will return as Washington’s QB next season. But the season isn’t over and I’m really interested in seeing how Cousins plays moving possibly into the playoffs. We could learn a lot about him. Whether it ends up being fools gold or not, it really doesn’t matter right now. He has an opportunity of a lifetime and if it does turn him into an overachiever — that’s great for the Redskins as a team.

Washington will get a home game in the wild card round, likely against the Seattle Seahawks if they beat the Eagles on Saturday. Kirk Cousins has a higher completion percentage (74.7%) in home games in a season than any other Quarterback in NFL history (min 100 att). This all sets up perfectly for him and the team. So, I wouldn’t sleep on Cousins or the Redskins in the playoffs, if they’re fortunate enough to make it there. They’re motivated and equipped to make some noise.

 

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