5 players to watch in Redskins Week 8 matchup vs. the Cowboys
By Ian Cummings
No. 1 – QB Kirk Cousins
Kirk Cousins‘ offensive line might not be able to help him out as much on Sunday. Which means the Cavalier Kirk we’ve been waiting so long to see has to appear against the Cowboys.
Kirk Cousins is a very calm and composed player. One thing that helps with that is the fact that he prepares tirelessly for each game. This, however, can result in over-planning, and, in turn, an inability to adapt when things go wrong. We’ve seen Cousins improve in this regard this season. In the last two weeks, we’ve seen him scramble to pick up key first downs, even lowering his shoulder to get extra yards. It’s dangerous, but Cousins only continues to grow.
On Sunday, Cousins won’t have as much time to throw, and thus, we will have to see more improvement in his improvisational skills. Cousins is good at scrambling and making plays with his feet. But going off script while throwing the football is something he hasn’t done much of this year. More often than not, he’s indecisive, and ends up either throwing it away or getting sacked. That’s better than making the back-breaking mistake. But we need to see more confidence in Kirk. With half of his offensive line out, he’ll need to make some plays on his own.
Cousins has played incredibly well this year. He’s currently top ten in almost every category among quarterbacks, and his passer rating and yards per attempt are both good for third in the league. Cousins is not the reason for the team’s offensive struggles, but he can do more to contribute to any success the team achieves. Cousins has the skills to do more. He has the potential and the ability to do more. And against the Cowboys, as much as we’ve liked what we’ve seen from him up until now, he has to do more.
Next: Previewing the Redskins' Week 8 matchup vs. Dallas
The Redskins play the Cowboys at 4:25 EST on Sunday. Be sure to tune in to that game, and stay up to date on Riggo’s Rag content throughout the week, as we’ll keep you in the loop with any injury updates and other news.