It's been two weeks, just one-eighth of the way into the NFL season. If this were baseball, it'd be 20 games into the year, hardly enough time to make a judgment about a player or team or a decision about a player made by a team. But, hoo boy, right now the Washington Redskins look like they're pressing the same financial buttons as Warren Buffett after not giving Kirk Cousins the long-term contract he wanted following his leading the team to an NFC East title in 2015.
Instead, Cousins is playing under the franchise tag and is basically losing a million guaranteed with every red-zone failure.
The Redskins lost to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday because of Kirk Cousins. That's a simplistic way to put it, of course. There were other factors: a stout Dallas offensive line, coaching decisions by the Redskins, the inability of Washington to adapt to the game that was being played rather than the game that was unfolding in front of them. But overall, if Cousins is the guy who gets the praise in victory, he gets the criticism in defeat. And, man, did he deserve it.
With Washington up 23-20 and 11 minutes remaining, Washington was in the red zone for the fifth time in the game. It was first-and-goal from the Dallas 6-yard line and anyone watching started doing the math in their head. "This looks like an easy touchdown; 'Skins should be up 30-20, a nice lead but plenty of time for Dak Prescott and Dallas to come back. Worst case, Washington kicks its fourth field goal from inside the 20, takes a six-point lead and tries to hold on. Even if Dallas scores a TD, Washington will still have a chance to go ahead with a late field goal."
Then Washington threw a fade to rookie Josh Doctson. It hardn't worked earlier in the game and it didn't work this time. Second down. Another fade, this time to Jordan Reed. Didn't work, either. Fades are supposed to travel a path that looks like the St. Louis Arch. These were soccer penalty kicks. So on third-and-goal from the Dallas 6, Cousins had an easier task than you'd think: Snap the ball, buy some time, look for an open receiver, hit him for a touchdown, but -- worst-case scenario -- throw the ball away to take the three points. Instead, Cousins threw into double coverage to Pierre Garcon and had the ball picked by Barry Church, Dallas went on an 11-play, 80-yard touchdown drive and took a 27-23 lead that would be the final score. The interception was the worst throw in the biggest situation of this young NFL season.
That much was obvious. They'll be reliving that throw on highlight packages all week. But there was more. Top receiver DeSean Jackson was targeted only five times, and not because he was blanketed in coverage. At least twice on the final drive he was open, sprinting down the sideline. It didn't look like Cousins saw him (though he might have) because he was too busy scanning for checkdown options.
The key thing that afflicted Cousins in Monday night's loss to Pittsburgh -- shorting balls to receivers -- wasn't a one-game problem. On Sunday, he was throwing off his front foot and missing guys coming out of the flat who were wide open on plays that should have brought 5 or 6 yards. He threw behind receivers. He threw over receivers. He threw through receivers.
One highlight, in theory, was the 57-yard pass to Doctson, the one that led off the drive that ended in the end-zone interception. It was lauded as a big-time pass from a quarterback who'd shaken off the rust and was ready to lead his team to a key division victory. This was the game-changer.
It should have been, not because the Redskins needed to take advantage of the big play to score a touchdown but because the big play should have been a touchdown. Doctson didn't have a receiver within 20 yards of him midway through his route.
But, as the ball was in the air, Doctson has to adjust and slow down in reaction to the pass. Nothing egregiously awful here: Hitting guys in perfect stride isn't as easy as it looks. Not great, though. Notice the broken gait.
However, then you see Doctson basically stop, completely turn around and catch the ball like a punt returner. Cousins had underthrown him by 8-10 yards.
Doctson still got 18 yards after that catch, but with even a halfway decent pass by Cousins, that's a touchdown and there's never any red-zone opportunity to blow. The Redskins likely go on to win and we're not having this discussion.
The spirit of that throw defined Cousins' afternoon. Like his pass, the numbers weren't immediately appalling, but Dallas gave him the opportunity for so much more and he didn't take it. It was a dozen little things. Heck, Cousins couldn't even get his offense lined up for a quick-snap spike with time running out, leading to a motion penalty that brought a 10-second runoff, taking the clock from 0:18 to 0:08.
I think the best summation came on the game's final play. Cousins threw a Hail Mary. The throw that won't get any scrutiny because it's named after a miracle, but it was so laughably bad, turning an impossible throw into one that might have been possible if people in the first row were eligible to score a touchdown. Normally, you try to throw the ball to the front of the end zone, maybe a yard or two in, and hope for a clean catch or a deflection backward. Cousins, who threw the ball from midfield, launched it 60 yards, so deep into the end zone that no one had a chance. His feel is so off that he overthrows by 20 percent the distance of a deep pass. He's like a golfer who hits a four-iron when he needs a six.
Again, it's far too early to rule on the Redskins vs. Cousins negotiation. Had Washington's defense made any number of third-and-long stops or if Cousins had put a little more touch on one of his fades or if his team had fallen on Ezekiel Elliott's second fumble, the Redskins are 1-1 and Cousins, though still imperfect, is the best-liked person in Washington (not a hard feat these days). None of that happened, and now Washington is 0-2 and going to the 2-0 Giants next weekend. Cousins is under fire and, though it'll be way too early for one, there's almost guaranteed to be a quarterback controversy that D.C. can't wait to start because that's what D.C. likes to do when the Redskins are under .500. And all the while, that albatross of a franchise tag will be hanging over the head of the franchise.
It's a long season. For Kirk Cousins, that could be a good thing or bad.
(Getty Images)
