Redskins Breakdown: Balanced offense, fierce defense take down Giants
![LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 23: Quarterback Eli Manning #10 of the New York Giants fumbles the ball as he is sacked by linebacker Junior Galette #58 of the Washington Redskins in the fourth quarter at FedExField on November 23, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 23: Quarterback Eli Manning #10 of the New York Giants fumbles the ball as he is sacked by linebacker Junior Galette #58 of the Washington Redskins in the fourth quarter at FedExField on November 23, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/026b33c9576e1dec9d3afcd3fb4ae3e67f23fbcdac6faf3f2b57c2c1ac321343.jpg)
Passing Game: Kirk Cousins leads team when it counts
Kirk Cousins has gotten a lot of criticism over the course of the past couple of seasons. At times, he has looked like an average starting quarterback in moments where his team desperately needed him. In this game, he showed up when it counted and helped lead the team to victory.
With the score tied at 10-10, Cousins helped to lead the Redskins on a game winning drive. He threw a beautiful ball to Josh Doctson on the end zone near the sideline to give the team the lead that turned out to be enough to win. That drive was crucial to the team, and he did all of that despite dealing with many obstacles.
As Walter Cherepinsky of WalterFootball.com pointed out, Cousins was under pressure for a good deal of the evening. Yet he still managed to have a great night overall, as he said in his game recap:
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"It’s a miracle Cousins was able to generate [242 yards, two touchdowns and an interception], given the amount of heat he saw in this contest. He was nearly picked a second time when he took a deep shot into double coverage, but things opened up for him in the second half, as he was able to connect on a couple of deep passes to Jamison Crowder."
A lot of Cousins’ damage came while targeting Crowder. It’s also worth noting that the interception he threw wasn’t entirely his fault. He threw a checkdown to Byron Marshall and while the throw was high, it was catchable. The ball popped out of his hands and Janoris Jenkins caught it and returned it for a score. I’d place the blame more on Marshall, given that he got both hands on the ball and didn’t come down with it.
This wasn’t Cousins’ best game. He struggled to move the ball against the Giants in the second half. But, he continues to be the best play action quarterback in football as evidenced by his touchdown toss to Doctson. He should continue to succeed if he gets support from his running game.