Remarkably, the Washington Redskins have made the NFL playoffs. Before the beginning of the season if someone would have said the Redskins would win the NFC East, I would have thought they were crazy. Coming into this year, this team was surrounded with the typical RGIII drama, the question of defensive depth, and a forecast of Tress Way potentially being our best player. In what has been a surprise to many, is that out of all the teams in the NFC East, the Redskins look to have the most stability. The words "stability" and "Redskins" are rarely used in the same sentence, but this team under the leadership of Jay Gruden has found the glue that will hold this franchise together. That glue comes in the form of quarterback Kirk Cousins. When Cousins was drafted in 2012, the same year as RGIII, many wondered what the thinking was behind drafting two quarterbacks after giving up so much to acquire Griffin. This season, Cousins has shown why it was worth the selection. In his first three seasons, Cousins started nine games and his stats left much to be desired as the team went 2-7 with Cousins throwing 18 TD and 19 INT. The turnovers had been the Achilles heel for Cousins, he would have flashes of brilliance just to have it negated by costly turnovers. That was Kirk Cousins with cable, now it seems as if Kirk has DIRECTV. In his 15 starts this season, Cousins has completed nearly 70% of his passes for 3990 yards, 31 total TD, and only 11 INT. The most important stat of them all is that the Redskins are 8-7, have won the NFC East, and are one of the hottest teams in football.
With Cousins playing like an elite quarterback, this offseason the Redskins will pay him like one. At 27 years old, Cousins is one year younger than former Jay Gruden protégé Andy Dalton who received a 6 year, $96,000,000 deal with the Cincinnati Bengals. While the Redskins already have talent around Cousins on offense, I would not be surprised if Cousins takes a Dalton sized deal (considerably fair if you look solely at the cap hit) or even less, leaving the Redskins money to sign a few key free agents on the defensive side of the ball. Cousins has everything a franchise looks for in a quarterback on and off the field. He says the right things in interviews, doesn't cause drama with teammates, is very coachable, and he even has his own catch phrase which has turned into a rallying cry for Redskins fans.
The Redskins have been exceptional at FedEx Field this season, and they are fortunate to be able to host the first round of the playoffs. As I am writing this, the matchup has not been determined yet, but the choice between the Seahawks, Packers, and Vikings is one that interests me.
Regarding Seattle, they have been heavyweights in the NFC in recent years and have defeated the Skins in the playoffs each of the past three times the teams have met. Without Jimmy Graham and with an injured Marshawn Lynch, Seattle has a different look but they are still dangerous.
The Green Bay Packers have had an up and down year, at one point they looked unbeatable, but last week got trounced by the Arizona Cardinals. Without Jordy Nelson, and with a nearly nonexistent Eddy Lacy, it is all up to Aaron Rodgers to carry this team through the playoffs. Although they are banged up, the Packers have Rodgers, so you can never count them out especially in the playoffs.
In my opinion, the most favorable matchup for the Redskins would be against the Minnesota Vikings. Led by Adrian Peterson and Teddy Bridgewater, the Vikings have surprised many people around the NFL with their success thus far, much like Washington. Vikings WR, and former Maryland Terrapin, Stefon Diggs would have a homecoming game in Landover which could spark some added energy. Although the Vikings have a strong defense, I believe the Redskins have the talent on both sides of the ball to have a great chance to beat the Vikings.
My expectations for the playoffs are one of subdued optimism, I believe the Redskins can compete against any team in the NFC with the way Cousins is playing, however I do still recognize this is a DC sports team, so we will see how things go. All I know is that it's a great thing that the Redskins have settled their QB issues and have made the playoffs because we were looking at becoming the east coast Cleveland Browns.
With Cousins playing like an elite quarterback, this offseason the Redskins will pay him like one. At 27 years old, Cousins is one year younger than former Jay Gruden protégé Andy Dalton who received a 6 year, $96,000,000 deal with the Cincinnati Bengals. While the Redskins already have talent around Cousins on offense, I would not be surprised if Cousins takes a Dalton sized deal (considerably fair if you look solely at the cap hit) or even less, leaving the Redskins money to sign a few key free agents on the defensive side of the ball. Cousins has everything a franchise looks for in a quarterback on and off the field. He says the right things in interviews, doesn't cause drama with teammates, is very coachable, and he even has his own catch phrase which has turned into a rallying cry for Redskins fans.
The Redskins have been exceptional at FedEx Field this season, and they are fortunate to be able to host the first round of the playoffs. As I am writing this, the matchup has not been determined yet, but the choice between the Seahawks, Packers, and Vikings is one that interests me.
Regarding Seattle, they have been heavyweights in the NFC in recent years and have defeated the Skins in the playoffs each of the past three times the teams have met. Without Jimmy Graham and with an injured Marshawn Lynch, Seattle has a different look but they are still dangerous.
The Green Bay Packers have had an up and down year, at one point they looked unbeatable, but last week got trounced by the Arizona Cardinals. Without Jordy Nelson, and with a nearly nonexistent Eddy Lacy, it is all up to Aaron Rodgers to carry this team through the playoffs. Although they are banged up, the Packers have Rodgers, so you can never count them out especially in the playoffs.
In my opinion, the most favorable matchup for the Redskins would be against the Minnesota Vikings. Led by Adrian Peterson and Teddy Bridgewater, the Vikings have surprised many people around the NFL with their success thus far, much like Washington. Vikings WR, and former Maryland Terrapin, Stefon Diggs would have a homecoming game in Landover which could spark some added energy. Although the Vikings have a strong defense, I believe the Redskins have the talent on both sides of the ball to have a great chance to beat the Vikings.
My expectations for the playoffs are one of subdued optimism, I believe the Redskins can compete against any team in the NFC with the way Cousins is playing, however I do still recognize this is a DC sports team, so we will see how things go. All I know is that it's a great thing that the Redskins have settled their QB issues and have made the playoffs because we were looking at becoming the east coast Cleveland Browns.
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| My dad, Kirk Cousins, and myself before the Redskins vs Colts game last season |
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