Cousins and the Redskins defeat the Browns to move into first place in the NFC East

Kirk Cousins was magnificent in his
first ever NFL start (AP/Tony Dejak)

With rookie quarterback Kirk Cousins making his first career start, the Washington Redskins downed the Cleveland Browns 38-21.  Washington won its fifth consecutive game, its largest win streak since 2005, to pull into first place in the NFC East.  The team has not won the division since 1999, and has qualified for the playoffs only twice since the turn of the millennium.

Cousins, Washington's 4th round draft pick out of Michigan State, was spectacular starting in relief of the injured Robert Griffin III, throwing for 329 yards, 2 touchdowns and completing over 70 percent of his passes.  After a rough start, the Redskins established an offensive rhythm thanks in large part to excellent play calling by offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.  Shanahan abandoned the pistol formation and zone read option which had been staples of the team's offense in the games that Griffin has started this season.  Instead, Shanahan adapted to Cousins, a more traditional quarterback, by using more of a pro style offense.  With the Browns determined to stop the run, Cousins was particularly effective on play action bootlegs, on which he threw 2 touchdowns to second year receiver Leonard Hankerson, including a 54 yard bomb in the first quarter to open the floodgates.

Leonard Hankerson caught two touchdowns
(AP/Rick Osentoski)

The Redskins defense came up huge yet again, limiting the Browns to under 300 yards of total offense and forcing 2 turnovers.  London Fletcher came up with his 4th interception of the season, and Rob Jackson intercepted his 3rd pass of the year.

The Redskins now control their own postseason destiny, and with wins against the Eagles and Cowboys will earn the right to host a playoff game.

Redskins defeat Ravens in battle of the beltway

Kirk Cousins made several key plays down the stretch (AFP)

The Washington Redskins pulled off a thrilling 31-28 come from behind victory against the Baltimore Ravens.  Ravens running back Ray Rice scored a 7 yard rushing touchdown to put the Ravens ahead by 8 with under 5 minutes remaining in the game.  Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III, the 2nd overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft out of Baylor University, and the NFL's offensive rookie of the year favorite, suffered a right knee injury on a 13 yard scramble after being slammed into by the 340 pound Haloti Ngata, a pro bowl defensive tackle for the Ravens.  Following a 3rd down pass interference that gave the Redskins a first down, Griffin was able to return to the game, albeit in a hobbled form.  Griffin was able to drive the Redskins all the way to the Ravens 16 yard line, but was visibly in pain, lacked his spectacular mobility and appeared unable to plant his foot in the ground.  Rookie quarterback Kirk Cousins, the Redskins 4th round pick out of Michigan State, completed his next two passes, including a beautifully thrown 11 yard touchdown to wide receiver Pierre Garçon in the right corner of the end zone, over the outstretched arms of the defense.  With the Redskins trailing by two with 29 seconds remaining in the game, Cousins took off on a designed run up the middle of the defense for the two point conversion to force overtime.

Kai Forbath has yet to miss a field goal this season
(Washington Times)

On the Ravens first possession of the overtime period, the Redskins defense stepped up and forced a three and out.  On the subsequent punt return, rookie Richard Crawford, a 7th round pick out of SMU, returned the ball 64 yards to the Ravens 24 yard line.  Field goal kicker Kai Forbath remained perfect on the season by drilling a 34 yard kick through the uprights to seal the heart stopping comeback.

The victory was yet another demonstration of the incredible productivity that the Redskins have received out of their draft picks from this past draft.  Griffin III has had one of the greatest rookie seasons of all time, ranking among the league leaders in passer rating, completion percentage, yards per attempt and touchdowns.  The remarkably clutch play of Cousins, who entered the game without a moments notice to complete the Redskins comeback, justifies a draft pick that was derided by most analysts, who claimed the team should have instead used its 3rd round pick to add depth to its offensive line.   Rookie running back Alfred Morris had 122 rushing yards and a touchdown in the game.  The 6th round pick out of Florida Atlantic University who is now astonishingly ranked 3rd in the league in rushing yards, was not even expected to make the team prior to training camp.  Crawford, filling in for the inactive Brandon Banks, provided a spark in the return game that has been missing all season.

The Redskins offensive line of left tackle Trent Williams, left guard Kory Lichtensteiger, center Will Montgomery, right guard Chris Chester and right tackle Tyler Polumbus has been the unheralded key to the team's success this season.  The offensive line has done a sensational job implementing head coach Mike Shanahan's zone blocking scheme and creating holes for the league's first ranked rushing attack.  After a rough start to the season, the line has improved substantially in pass protection by allowing routes to develop downfield and providing Griffin III with ample time to find open targets.  In the first quarter, Griffin III was given nearly 5 seconds in the pocket to find wide receiver Josh Morgan who ran a drag route across the entire field.  Williams, the 4th overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft, has developed into one of the league's best left tackles and has become the linchpin of the offensive line.

While Cousins was excellent in relief of Griffin III, the Redskins need their dynamic budding superstar to make a speedy recovery.  The Redskins option offense is predicated on the threat of Griffin running the football.

Washington Redskins Quarterback Preview

Robert Griffin III was drafted 2nd overall by the Redskins
(Al Bello/Getty Images)

After a nearly two decade long search for a franchise quarterback, the Washington Redskins believe that they have finally found their savior in the form of Robert Griffin III, whom the team drafted with the 2nd overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft.  The Redskins were forced to part with an unprecedented package that included three first round picks and a second round pick in order to acquire a high enough pick to draft Griffin.  Griffin, a product of Baylor University, won the Heisman trophy this past season as the most outstanding player in college football.  He has every trait that a team wants from a franchise quarterback both on and off the field.
Griffin possesses elite athleticism which he uses to elude defenders as a runner, and more importantly, extend plays with his feet.  He ran the 40 yard dash at the NFL combine in a blistering 4.41 seconds, has a 39 inch vertical jump, and even qualified for the semifinals of the 400 meter hurdles at the 2008 Olympic trials.  Unlike many mobile quarterbacks, Griffin also has the ability to make every throw.  He demonstrated his pinpoint accuracy during his senior year at Baylor by completing an astounding 72.4% of his passes.  He is also lauded for his quick release and his absolute cannon of an arm.
Griffin's work ethic and intangibles are considered to be among his strongest attributes.  He is an army child and had discipline and hard work drilled into him at an early age.  He stays out of trouble and doesn't party, drink alcohol or smoke.  Griffin's magnetic personality has earned him the immediate respect of the entire Redskins' locker room.  The veterans listen to him and the younger players revere him, an extremely rare occurrence for a 22 year old.
The Redskins' backup quarterback is Rex Grossman, who started 13 games for the team last season and has mastered offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan's offense.  Grossman is a very capable backup and has demonstrated the ability to move the offense and lead a team to a victory if he is given the opportunity to play.  Grossman's fatal flaw is his penchant for turning the ball over.  He had 20 interceptions last season along with 8 fumbles and single handedly lost a few games for Washington last season.
The Redskins' third string quarterback is Kirk Cousins, whom the team drafted in the 4th round of this past NFL draft with the hope that he will eventually become the team's primary backup.  Over his final three seasons at Michigan State, Cousins won more games than any other quarterback in the Big 10 conference.  He threw 3 touchdown passes in the 4th quarter of the Redskins' second preseason game against the Chicago Bears.

Robert Griffin III
(John McDonnell/The Washington Post)

The Redskins faithful have sky high hopes for RG3 who undoubtedly has the talent and desire to deliver.  The fans need not temper their excitement at the arrival of the franchise savior, but should keep in mind that he is a rookie playing behind an offensive line that will likely have trouble protecting him.  As long as Robert Griffin is able to stay healthy and show improvement through the various peaks and valleys of his rookie season, 2012 will be a success for the Washington Redskins.