Kirk Cousins' big day against Bills keeps Redskins in first place
LANDOVER, Md. - Kirk Cousins dropped back, ran right, then swerved through the Buffalo Bills defensive line toward the end zone. Those 13 yards — which resulted in the Washington Redskins quarterback’s fifth rushing touchdown of the season — put his team up 14-0 on the Buffalo Bills early in the second quarter, even though the play was supposed to go a different way.
It didn’t matter because as soon as Cousins scored, fans began chanting, “You Like That!” as a tribute to the quarterback’s most famous bit of smack talk following the Redskins’ comeback win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in October. As Washington went on to beat the Bills 35-25 - and Cousins finished 22 of 28 passing for 319 yards and four touchdowns with the added rushing score - the phrase rang throughout FedEx Field throughout Sunday.
“You know, he started that,” said wideout DeSean Jackson, who connected with Cousins six times for 153 yards and a 77-yard touchdown. “I think a lot of people didn’t really think he was going to be able to be able to be a good quarterback, wasn’t going to be able to get the job done. But as far as us, we’re just doing everything we can to get behind him and play for him and be in the position we need to be in to get our jobs done and play together.
“You like that. Everybody is rolling with that.”
The saying was coined after Cousins was recorded yelling those words at a reporter who was on live TV. In weeks prior, Cousins had been criticized for his inconsistencies and Washington’s uneven play (the team was 2-4 ahead of that matchup). He led the Redskins on an 80-yard game-winning drive and followed the performance up with some viral content.
“We bought (into Cousins) from Day 1, but that game was something that showed us as a team that this is a guy we could ride all the way through,” defensive end Chris Baker said. “There’s no situation that you could put us in as a team that Kirk can’t dig us out of. He showed great determination, brought us all the way back and won the game.”
He’s continued to do this. Since that game, the Redskins (7-7) are 5-3 and lead the NFC East with a chance to clinch a playoff spot next Saturday night against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Cousins has thrown for 300 yards or more six times this year - a Redskins single-season record - five of which have been since the Buccaneers game.
One of the keys to his evolving success is trust. As Robert Griffin III’s backup for three years, Cousins mainly took reps with the second- and third-string players. It wasn’t until the week before the 2015 season began when he was named the starter that he began practicing with the other first-teamers. Building chemistry with targets Jordan Reed, Pierre Garcon and Jackson took time, but it’s becoming apparent that things are clicking. And at the right time.
“Kirk was very efficient with his eyes today - his progressions, his reads,” coach Jay Gruden said. “When the ball was up in the air, our receivers made them right a lot. Even though DeSean’s touchdown was underthrown, he came back and made a great catch. Pierre’s fade was a little bit under thrown, he made a great catch. Jordan made a great catch on the fade ball down there in the red zone.
“Guys are making plays and Kirk is starting to trust the fact that these guys are great players and are making plays for him. So it works hand in hand. Kirk has to pull the trigger, but the receivers have to make the plays for him.”
Jackson said he tells Cousins - who leads the league with a 69.2% completion mark and is on pace to pass for more than 4,000 yards this season--to just be patient and the confidence will come. This is indicative of what's happening to the Redskins offensively.
“With a young quarterback who doesn’t have as many reps as you would think or you would want, it really just comes down to trusting,” Jackson reiterated. “He’s doing a great job of staying with it. That’s the biggest thing I can say, because anything can happen. You can try and throw deep and if it doesn’t happen, or if you see defenders out there, I can see how that might spook a guy. And you know, a guy doesn’t want to make mistakes, a guy doesn’t want to turn the ball over.”
In the last eight games dating back to the Buccaneers showdown, Cousins has thrown 16 touchdowns to just three interceptions. Before that, the ratio was six touchdowns to eight interceptions in six games.
“He’s coming along,” defensive end Ricky Jean-Francois said. “He knows he’s a franchise quarterback, now he’s gotta display it. Those receivers trust him because they know he’s going to put the ball on the money. He’s done it so many times, now he’s gotta keep doing it with confidence.
“You see the whole stadium chanting, what else could you ask the quarterback to do when you’ve got the whole stadium chanting for you? The whole city behind you? Your team behind you? You can’t ask for nothing better than that, so you’re gonna go out and be the franchise starting quarterback.”
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