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Redskins Breakdown: Team shows nothing in embarrassing loss to Chargers

By Jacob Camenker

CARSON, CA - DECEMBER 10: Head Coach Jay Gruden of the Washington Redskins watches from the sidelines during a 30-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers at StubHub Center on December 10, 2017 in Carson, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
CARSON, CA - DECEMBER 10: Head Coach Jay Gruden of the Washington Redskins watches from the sidelines during a 30-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers at StubHub Center on December 10, 2017 in Carson, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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CARSON, CA – DECEMBER 10: Quarterback Kirk Cousins #8 of the Washington Redskins stands on the field in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers on December 10, 2017 at StubHub Center in Carson, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
CARSON, CA – DECEMBER 10: Quarterback Kirk Cousins #8 of the Washington Redskins stands on the field in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers on December 10, 2017 at StubHub Center in Carson, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /

Passing Game: Kirk Cousins sharp early, not much doing late

Early on in the contest, Kirk Cousins was looking poised to lead his offense to a solid day. He had razor sharp accuracy at times, and I said the following of him in my game recap for WalterFootball.com.

"For most of the beginning of the contest, Cousins was accurate on his passes. His lone touchdown to Vernon Davis was a thing of beauty. On a third and 11, he stepped up in the pocket to avoid the rush and then threw a perfect strike to Vernon Davis who was coming up the right sideline. He went airborne and caught it while barely being touched. That was Cousins’ best throw, aside from a fourth down strike to Niles Paul that saw him thread the needle into a tight window."

These two throws were emblematic of Cousins’ strength. He possesses the ability to throw his men open and he is able to read the field very well. More often than not, his ball placement was perfect and that allowed him to keep the Redskins in game for a bit.

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However, Cousins was guilty of a critical mistake in the first half and his play tapered off in the second half. The mistake came on an interception that he lofted into double coverage. Cousins thought he had an open man, but he actually had a man that was bracketed by a couple of defenders. He lofted the ball and it was tipped by Trevor Williams into the hands of Kyle Emmanuel. This was a mistake as he should have seen the defender and he shouldn’t have tried to thread the needle into a tight window.

By the second half, Cousins’ protection started to deteriorate, and he wasn’t able to complete passes down the field. He had to settle for checkdowns on which he wasn’t always accurate on. He finished the day 15-of-27 for 151 yards, a touchdown, and the interception.

This was far from Cousins’ best performance, but at the same time, he wasn’t the biggest reason the team lost the game. The defense never gave him a chance to make anything happen. But still, Cousins needs to put up more than 6 points to keep his team competitive.

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