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For Kirk Cousins and the Washington Redskins offense, less is more

By Lawrence Jason Dukes

LANDOVER, MD - OCTOBER 15: Quarterback Kirk Cousins #8 of the Washington Redskins huddles up with his offense against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half at FedExField on October 15, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - OCTOBER 15: Quarterback Kirk Cousins #8 of the Washington Redskins huddles up with his offense against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half at FedExField on October 15, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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Kirk Cousins
LANDOVER, MD – OCTOBER 15: Quarterback Kirk Cousins #8 of the Washington Redskins huddles up with his offense against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half at FedExField on October 15, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

Despite losing his top two wideouts from a year ago, Kirk Cousins is playing at a high level for the Washington Redskins. Is less more for the star quarterback?

Two weeks ago, the Redskins suffered a tough loss against the Kansas City Chiefs. This Monday night, they’ll have the opportunity to avenge a season opening loss to their division rival, the Philadelphia Eagles. With a banged-up defense, Washington will need Kirk Cousins to play his best game of the season. And that might be hard to do.

Cousins has been playing very well, in all aspects of his game. In two of the team’s five games, Cousins has been the leading rusher. Those two games just so happen to be losses. Despite an inconsistent rushing attack, and subpar play from several of his receivers, Cousins is once again carrying the Redskins offense.

Several key statistics point towards Cousins’ improvement at quarterback. Last Sunday, Cousins engineered his ninth career game-winning drive in his 37th start, and his second on the season. Cousins’ 106.4 passer rating ranks second in the NFL, and first in the NFC. His adjusted QBR of 70.0 is fifth in the league. Cousins is also excelling at play action passing. His 152.7 rating when faking the run is tops in the league.

Surprisingly, the Redskins are ranked 10th in rushing with 122.8 yards per game. The passing attack is eighth, averaging 251.4 yards per contest. The Cousins-led offense is ranked sixth overall in total yards with 374.2 yards per game. Simply put, Cousins is playing like one of the league’s top quarterbacks. He’s improved mightily even just over the past couple weeks.

Cousins struggled the entire preseason, all the way up until the Redskins’ final offensive drive against the Rams in Week 2. Those issues stemmed from no longer having the luxury of DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon. However, Cousins has replaced that talented pair with a trio of unexpected playmakers. Two fifth-round picks (players Cousins has matured with) and a 33-year old tight end.

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