Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III suffered another significant injury in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, which has been diagnosed as a sprained ankle and will put him out of action for over a month, according to reports. With RG3 down injured, backup Kirk Cousins stepped up to lead the Redskins to a comfortable 41-10 win over the Jags.
Cousins is set to make his first start of the season in Week 3 against NFC East rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles. But with the Eagles having a full week to scout and prepare, will Cousins still have the same impact and lead the Redskins to another win?
Let’s take a look at the four most important factors which will contribute to Cousins’ success (or failure) in Week 3 against the Eagles. For more on the game as a whole, check out our preview here.
[sc:Football ]Four Keys to Kirk Cousins’ Success Against the Philadelphia Eagles
1. The System
Super Bowl-winning quarterback and Redskins great Joe Thiesmann said that Cousins had outplayed Robert Griffin III during preseason. Part of the reason why was maybe RG3 realized that the preseason doesn’t matter and was running through the motions. But it could just be because Cousins fits the West Coast offense of new head coach Jay Gruden better.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Thiesmann mentioned the obvious comparison to Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton. Cousins and Dalton aren’t the most athletic quarterbacks, but both are comfortable working in the pocket, which is a prerequisite in the system. Although it was against the lowly Jaguars, Cousins’ numbers (22-for-33, 250 yards and two touchdowns) in his first game were very promising.
He’s already formed a solid connection with tight end Niles Paul, who caught eight balls for 99 yards and a touchdown against the Jags. And expect that he and Pierre Garcon, the team’s leading receiver last season, to hook up for more than their one completion for 12 yards.
If Cousins follows the system and makes the same plays he made against the Jags as confidently against the Eagles, the Redskins’ offense will be in good shape.
2. The Running Game
As is the case with any young or inexperienced quarterback, an effective running game can take a lot of the pressure of forcing plays away from the passer. Judging by their first two games, where they’ve averaged 160 rushing yards per game, the Redskins’ ground game looks capable of helping out Cousins in a big way.
The Redskins will go up against an Eagles defense which gave up 169 yards rushing against the Colts, 79 of which from Trent Richardson. An effective running game will also aid the Redskins defense, as it can lead to longer drives and less time for the Eagles’ explosive offense on the field.
For Cousins, being able to feed Alfred Morris for consistent gains will ease him into what should be a raucous division rivalry game instead of being asked to pass right off the bat. The running game should also help unleash the Redskins’ other big offensive weapon: DeSean Jackson.
3. DeSean Jackson
Even after suffering a shoulder injury last week, it’s hard to imagine DeSean Jackson missing the first game against the Eagles, his former team which unceremoniously cut him last offseason. Needless to say, Jackson will have all the motivation in the world to put up a monster game against his former employers.
It’s unknown how the injury would affect his play should Jackson be able to suit up. But if he does get close to 100 percent, he’ll be a big weapon for Cousins in the Redskins’ passing game.
Jackson is quite capable of creating plays after the catch, leaving Cousins with a relatively simple task of just getting him the ball and letting him get to work. And if the Redskins’ ground attack is running smoothly, it’ll also open up the possibility of calling some play-action passes for Jackson, who’s all sorts of deadly on the open field.
4. The Pressure
Coming into the NFL from college, one of the main weaknesses in Cousins’ game was his lack of recognition when faced with pressure in the pocket. It’s entirely possible that two years’ worth of practice in an NFL setting have improved this part of his game, but that’s still a mystery given his lack of sufficient playing time.
Regardless, putting pressure with a good pass rush is the best way to rattle an inexperienced – or any – quarterback. The Redskins offensive line hasn’t done a particularly good job of protecting their quarterback early on; they currently rank 28th in the NFL in adjusted sack rate, per Football Outsiders, albeit with a small sample size of two games.
The good thing is that the Eagles pass rush isn’t exactly getting after the opposing QB, with just three sacks and a 3.9 percent adjusted sack rate, 27th in the league. The Eagles will need to generate a better pass rush against the Redskins, or they risk allowing Cousins to find his rhythm by making easy completions thanks to a clean pocket.
If Cousins and the Redskins, who are +6.5 road dogs in this game, can get rolling early and give him time to take advantage the West Coast pocket passing that he should thrive in, it could be a long day for the Philly defense and a short day for their biltzkrieg offense. That said, that’s a big if.
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