Jay Gruden said that former Michigan State Spartans star quarterback Kirk Cousins would give the Washington Redskins the best chance to win now. That didn’t end up being true, as Cousins struggled mightily in his 2015 debut against the improved Miami Dolphins. Cousins certainly didn’t look like a legitimate starter and the Redskins simply have to hope that he finds a way to turn things around.
Cousins ended up completing 21 of his 31 pass attempts for 196 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Those numbers ended up giving him a lowly 38.2 quarterback rating on the afternoon.
Needless to say, those numbers are not going to get the job done at quarterback for the Redskins moving forward.
At 27 years old, there are absolutely no excuses left for Cousins to draw on for his struggles. He has plenty of experience in the NFL and has had plenty of time to adjust to the speed of the game. If things don’t work out this time around he is in the same boat as Robert Griffin III and should be on his way out of Washington.
That being said, it is way too early to give up on the talent that Cousins possesses. He has a very strong arm and has the accuracy to go along with it. Simply improving his decision making will take him to the next level and make him a better starting option for the Redskins.
Looking ahead at Week 2 against the St. Louis Rams, Cousins is going to face a defense capable of forcing turnovers. St. Louis is a very comparable defense to the Dolphins, although they likely have a better secondary. He will also see quite a bit of pressure from the Rams’ defense and should be preparing to make quick decisions while still taking care of the football.
Washington made a bold decision by going with Cousins over Griffin and are hoping that they won’t look stupid for doing so. Not only did they choose Cousins over Griffin, they also demoted Griffin to the third-string quarterback position in favor of Colt McCoy as the primary backup. There isn’t much going back for the Redskins in this situation with Griffin, so Cousins seems to be their guy.
It will be interesting to see how Cousins responds to the added pressure that he media is throwing his way after the disappointing start to the season. The decision to start him is being second guessed by almost every media member and likely by some of the players in the locker room. Griffin may not have played well over the past couple of seasons due to injuries, but he did have a star powered rookie season in which he led the Redskins to the playoffs.
Expect to see Cousins bounce back with a much improved performance in Week 2 against the Rams, but he has a lot to prove.
