How the Redskins got here: The Kirk Cousins revenge game

What’s next?

Amazingly, Thursday night’s game will mark the halfway point of Cousins’ deal with the Vikings. He’ll be looking to continue to improve in the system, get some wins, and get Minnesota to the playoffs. And if he can get the team there, he’ll be looking to earn his first playoff win and justify the Vikings’ decision to spend so much on him in free agency.

As for the Redskins, they’re in an evaluation stage at this point. They fired Jay Gruden two weeks ago, so they are re-evaluating their entire team and coaching staff. Dwayne Haskins is the future at quarterback, but they aren’t going to play him until he’s ready. That means that Case Keenum will be the starter until that moment comes. That said, interim coach Bill Callahan recently praised Haskins’ progress, so perhaps it will be soon.

In short, the Redskins and the Vikings are in two very different places now. One is looking like a playoff contender. The other will contend for the top overall pick. The thing that ties them together is that since the 2017 regular season, they have basically swapped starting quarterbacks. And so far, neither has fully gotten what they hoped for from either passer.

On Thursday night, many eyes will be on Cousins. Some will be looking fondly at what the team once had. Others will be looking to see if he regresses to the average-looking quarterback that is prone to struggles in a big spot against his former team.

And some others will be watching in hopes that Cousins puts up a big game and defeats the Redskins, as that game would be viewed as a big middle-finger to the front office duo of Bruce Allen and Daniel Snyder that let him walk away for merely a compensatory third-round pick.

But one thing is certain. Thursday night’s game should be an interesting one as Cousins and Keenum look for revenge on their former organizations.