Washington Commanders

Kirk Cousins breaks down his overtime pick-six

Published Oct. 13, 2015 11:59 a.m. ET

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After having the opportunity to watch the game tape on Monday, Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins joined 106.7 The Fan's Grant Paulsen and Danny Rouhier on Monday to break down what happened on his game-ending interception in overtime.

“The Falcons brought a pressure off the left side, where our five-man protection could not pick up all the rushers,” Cousins said. “As a result, the linebacker off the left side was going to come free one way or another. The ball had to come out, or I had to throw it away, or I had to take a sack or avoid him in some way. Typically you have a hot route built in to be able to get rid of the ball quickly to somebody, and so my quick element was to my left side, and I knew the ball had to come out quickly and just felt the need to throw it out there to the left side to Ryan Grant.

“I felt a little unsure of where Ryan was, or how the defender was playing it, and so I tried to throw it to what I believed to be a safe spot, which is outside, away to the sideline, thinking that the more the ball is left outside, the more it’s like throwing it away. After watching the film, it almost seemed like that placement of the ball may have helped the DB make the play. If I had left it inside, which typically you don’t want to do, it may have been better off. But [I] left the ball outside, and it enabled him to I think make that play, and then obviously the game was over when he was able to return it.”

On second review of the play, it looked like outside wide receiver Ryan Grant slipped to the ground coming out of his break. Cousins wasn't willing to blame Grant's slip for the intercepted pass.

“I think it’s hard to say,” Cousins said when asked about if Grant had not slipped would the pass have been completed. “Again, on the film, it looked like the ball was outside of Ryan in a way that, even had he not fallen, he would have had to jump to the outside to make the catch. If he falls and the ball’s right on him, in theory it should still be right in his general area where he can make the grab. But, tough to say. That’s where it’s tough. When you throw hot routes, you throw them with anticipation, you throw them early. You don’t have a total picture — things happen fast. That’s where, in a perfect world, I would have been able to change the protection to pick up that blitzing linebacker so that I don’t have to throw hot and I can go through my progression and maybe find another outlet and stay ahead of the change.”

The Falcons shut down Washington's running game and forced them to pass more. In the coming weeks, the Redskins will look to establish their offensive blueprint that has been successful in their two regular season wins, and it starts with establishing the run game behind Alfred Morris and Matt Jones.

(h/t CBS Sports)