EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The problem was not that Kirk Cousins did not see Darrelle Revis stalking Ryan Grant.
The problem was that he decided to try and force a completion anyways.
With the Washington Redskins facing second-and-8 from their own 23-yard line, Revis, the New York Jets’ shutdown cornerback, intercepted Cousins’ pass. On the next play, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick scrambled 18 yards for a touchdown, a backbreaking sequence that accelerated the Redskins’ demise in a 34-20 loss on Sunday.
When coach Jay Gruden anointed Cousins the starter just before the start of the regular season, those were the types of head-scratching decisions the team hoped the fourth-year quarterback had moved on from.
Cousins threw another interception two drives later, this time heaving a pass deep down the left sideline for Jamison Crowder on third-and-10. Crowder was double covered, and Jets free safety Marcus Gilchrist picked off the pass before being tackled at the New York 27-yard line.
That one was not so bad, Gruden said postgame, calling it the equivalent of a long punt. Cousins said it was a play he normally would not have attempted in a closer game.
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The first interception, however, with 10:18 to play in the third quarter, was the type of error that forces a glaring question: What is preventing Cousins from moving on from making these mistakes?
“I felt like my options to the right were covered and I thought to run it, I didn’t feel like I had a window to run it and essentially need to throw it away there,” Cousins said. “I need to just put it in the bleachers and put it over Ryan Grant’s head. That’s something that’s disappointing.
“I think situational awareness is a big deal. The first interception, we’re backed up in our own territory, you can play conservatively there and throw the ball out of bounds. I think there’s a level of maybe I’m trying to find a completion as many times as I possibly can when, maybe, the better option is to not try for a completion when you don’t see one and find an incompletion out of bounds. That comes with time. That’s something I do believe I will improve upon and can improve upon.”
Cousins completed 25 of 43 passes on Sunday for 196 yards and a touchdown to accompany the two interceptions. His 57.9 passer rating was his lowest of the season.
Through six games, Cousins has completed 66.2 percent of his passes. He has thrown six touchdowns and eight interceptions and has a 77.4 passer rating.
After Cousins threw two interceptions in a 32-21 loss to the New York Giants in Week 3 at MetLife Stadium, Gruden voiced his confidence in Cousins.
“We’re letting him be the starter here, and he’s going to have to play through some of these pitfalls, so to speak,” Gruden had said. “And, we’re hoping that he does.”
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Following Cousins’ second consecutive game with two interceptions — his fourth of the season — Gruden reiterated that commitment.
“I’d like to see what happens when we get our full cast of characters back,” Gruden said. “There are some opportunities there for Kirk to make some plays, and I think he missed some throws. He threw an interception that obviously, was a tough throw. But, we’ve spent a lot of time and invested a lot of time this season in Kirk, and we’d like to see the film before I move forward with any kind of crazy decisions. We stand behind Kirk, and we’ll see what happens next week against Tampa.”
The Redskins were playing without seven key players in left tackle Trent Williams, center Kory Lichtensteiger, wide receiver DeSean Jackson, tight end Jordan Reed, running back Matt Jones and cornerbacks DeAngelo Hall and Chris Culliver, but Gruden was adamant he would not use that as an excuse.
The Redskins also failed to rush the ball effectively for the fourth consecutive week, gaining 34 yards on 17 carries.
Both of those factors were in play during the first half, yet the Redskins were able to manage a 13-10 lead at halftime, capitalizing on good field position after Bashaud Breeland’s three turnovers.
“You hate to pin this game on Kirk,” Gruden said. “I know he could have played better, but we had no running game whatsoever, and Kirk’s not in a stage in his career right now, nor is anybody on our roster, to carry our team throwing the ball as much as we would have had to today.”
The turnovers were not the only issues for Cousins; many of his throws were inaccurate. Cousins called it frustrating, but also expressed confidence in himself.
“The key is to identify what the issue is and get it corrected,” Cousins said. “If I start to question or doubt, we might as well throw in the towel.”
Gruden named Cousins the starter for the season by simply stating, “It’s Kirk’s team.”
As of right now, it will continue to be Cousins’ team, no matter how costly the mistakes are.
• Anthony Gulizia can be reached at agulizia@washingtontimes.com.
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