NFL Washington Redskins

Kirk Cousins Presents a Problem for Washington Redskins

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By @vinnylanni

Getty Images

Getty Images

When Robert Griffin III went down with an injury in Week 2, it opened the door for Kirk Cousins to be the main guy in Washington. After a great game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3, it seemed as if Griffin was already an afterthought, but then the New York Giants came to town. Everything has changed again.

Cousins took the field on Thursday night after his three-touchdown, 427-yard game and looked like a completely different quarterback. The 26-year-old turned the ball over five times against the Giants’ defense with four interceptions and a fumble. It’s not like he was up against the one of the best defenses in the league; this is a Giants defense that was ranked in the bottom half of the NFL against the pass, so Cousins had the opportunity for another big game, but he couldn’t get the pieces to fall into place.

The Redskins’ offensive line also didn’t do Cousins any favors. He was constantly under pressure and seemed rattled in the pocket every time he stepped back to pass. Many of his interceptions weren’t even impressive plays by the defense. It was pretty much Cousins handing the ball over to Eli Manning and a Giants offense that couldn’t be stopped. Manning threw four touchdowns (added one rushing) against the Redskins’ defense and totaled 300 yards passing. For Cousins to give Manning multiple opportunities to score even more points on turnovers may have not been the best idea in hindsight — obviously.

One bad game isn’t going to define Cousins, nor should it change his outlook as promising quarterback in the league. Like I mentioned, last week he was great and the week before that too, but this week he had a game that needs to be erased from his memory. Let’s not forget that Cousins never had the chance for a full rookie season and he’s pretty much learning the game on the fly.

It’s a tough situation to be in if you’re the young Redskins quarterback because right now is his chance to claim the starting job and run with it, but if he can’t develop some sort of consistency, then RG III may get his job back when he returns later on this season.

Next week, Cousins will take on the Seattle Seahawks at home in Week 5 on Monday Night Football, so we’ll get a chance to see if the Week 2 and Week 3 versions of him show up, or the Week 4 version.

Vinny Lanni is a New York Jets writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter or add him to your network on Google.

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