Kirk Cousins Shines in Win over Green Bay Packers

Last night was the Redskins 2nd game of 500 or more yards of offense this season (Bengals the other), and 6th game of 400 or more yards of offense. His effort to lock down a long-term deal continues Thanksgiving Day against the NFC East-leading Dallas Cowboys.

“It’s tough”, receiver Jamison Crowder said.

Washington Redskins Kirk Cousins and Robert “Fat Rob” Kelley were two of the best performers in the National Football League last week, and could be recognized for that hours before playing again.

Cousins passed for 375 yards and three touchdowns, Robert Kelley rushed for 137 yards and three scores, and the Redskins defeated the Packers 42-24 at FedEx (NYSE:) Field in Landover. It was his team-record 17th career 300-yard passing game in one of the best performances in his career.

“For us to keep pace in the division and have a chance at the division title”, Gruden said, “we’ve got to play our best game Thursday”.

There was no time to lose at Redskins Park, as Washington prepared for Thursday afternoon’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.

They haven’t had a losing season since Aaron Rodgers’ first year as the starting quarterback in 2008. Go in there and try and get that win going. Anyone’s game at that point, right? “We’re in a rough stretch right now”.

In the past three games, with Kelly as a big contributor, the Redskins averaged 31.7 points and 483 yards per game.

That’s in the range of what Baltimore’s Joe Flacco, Arizona’s Carson Palmer and Atlanta’s Matt Ryan will cost against the salary cap in 2017, and Cousins doesn’t yet have the resume of those established starters. I thought he did very good there.

Most troubling for Green Bay is opponents have figured out the clear way to beat the Packers is to go deep against the porous back end of their defence.

Slumping Green Bay (4-6) has lost four straight – allowing 153 points – and sits two games behind Minnesota and Detroit in the NFC North.

“We say it all the time: We have way too much talent in this locker room to be going out there and performing like that”, defensive back Micah Hyde said. But, week in and week out, we’re doing it.

In fairness, Green Bay’s defense is all kinds of banged up, as is their corps of running backs, and the list of injuries lengthened in Washington to include linebacker Blake Martinez (knee), safety Kentrell Brice (back) and cornerback Demetri Goodson (knee). He went 1 for 5 for zero yards on that bad trio of drives. He was 26 of 41 for 351 yards and three touchdowns, but the result was the same. “We’re fully aware of the things we need to do better”.

Packers receiver Jordy Nelson had a 13-yard touchdown catch that stood up after video review, despite ambiguity over whether he held on to the ball. “Kirk is going through progressions, he’s hanging in there”, Redskins coach Jay Gruden said. Really. He’s been a good quarterback in the rain and the wind.