5 Commanders reality checks for Week 9 against the Vikings
By Tim Payne
After sleepwalking through the majority of last week’s game in Indianapolis, the Washington Commanders offense, led by Taylor Heinicke, Terry McLaurin, and Curtis Samuel, put together two stellar drives to pull victory from the ashes of apathy to even their season record at 4-4.
With the defense forcing two turnovers on Sunday and performing consistently over the last few weeks, it’s reasonable to expect Washington to be competitive over the next few weeks in spite of the level of competition increasing dramatically.
In spite of the little run the team is on, last week, in my Reality Checks, I reminded all of us that, in the long run, nothing surrounding this team really matters until Daniel Snyder is no longer the owner. Enter the bombshell:
Maybe it’ll happen right away. Maybe it’ll take a while. But make no mistake, the reality is it’s very very much on the table that Dan and Tanya will sell this franchise, which means that it’s very much on the table to have hope, once again, that this franchise can climb back up to the mountaintop.
Hope is a heck of a drug. So with the most optimism about my Washington fandom since Dec. 2012, I give you this week’s Commanders reality checks:
5 Commanders reality checks for Week 9 vs the Vikings
5. The Reality Is, Kirk Cousins is better than you remember.
Many Washington fans remember Kirk Cousins as mildly successful, but generally underwhelming. The fact the entire fanbase didn’t revolt when Bruce Allen fumbled the circumstances around the multiple franchise tags and eventual loss of Cousins for a third round compensatory pick is evidence that they didn’t quite realize just how hard it is to find a competent starting quarterback.
In the 4.5 seasons since Cousins left for Minnesota, he’s combined for 18,121 passing yards, 135 TDs, 41 INTs and a 67.8% completion rate. Meanwhile, Washington’s QBs (all 11 of them in that span) have combined for under 16,000 yards, 84 TDs, 67 INTs, and a 62.3% completion rate. Cousins was good here in Washington. He’s better in Minnesota, and will be the most complete and comfortable QB Washington has faced yet this year outside of Jalen Hurts.