Redskins offense sputters, but ultimately finds rhythm in win against Bills

LANDOVER — In the short span of two minutes and 30 seconds, Kirk Cousins threw an interception, was sacked on third down, and then connected with a wide-open Jordan Reed for a 20-yard touchdown pass.

It was a sloppy sequence late in the second quarter of the Washington Redskins’ 21-16 victory against the Buffalo Bills on Friday night at FedEx Field, but the offense ultimately achieved what it set out to do. The starters got an extended look in the third preseason game and played the first half. Coach Jay Gruden was hoping for a more smooth operation by the offense, but what mattered most is that they didn’t buckle and still managed to score points.

It helped that the Bills pulled most of their starters early and weren’t sharp fundamentally. A defensive holding penalty wiped out Cousins’ interception and outside linebacker Kroy Biermann was called for roughing the passer after sacking Cousins on third-and-20.

Then on first-and-10 from the Bills 35-yard line, Buffalo was called for encroachment and illegal use of hands on consecutive plays to set up Cousins’ touchdown pass.

“Obviously we didn’t come out the way we wanted to,” Gruden said. “We struggled early, but I like the way we came back and just kept battling. We obviously got the ball in the end zone three times, which was nice. I’d like to see us be a little bit more crisp. We had a lot of penalties, a couple turnovers, one turnover called back.

“They had a couple penalties that kept one of our drives going. It wasn’t as crisp as I would liked to have seen it, but that is a good defense over there, good scheme and I think penalties and some of the things that we did hurt ourselves. But overall I like the way we at least rebounded and we got some drives in the end zone offensively.”

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Cousins was 3 for 9 for 17 yards in the first quarter. On the fourth play of the game, his pass to Rashad Ross was intercepted by Corey White. The offense also had its fair share of drops in the first quarter and looked out of synch. In the second quarter, Cousins was 9 for 14 for 171 yards and three touchdowns, including a 38-yard connection to Ryan Grant and a 9-yard fade to Pierre Garcon.

“A lot of the stuff I feel will be easily correctable and over the long haul will even itself out,” Cousins said.

Here are two other takeaways from the Redskins’ win on Friday:

** The Redskins committed to bringing versatile rookie Su’a Cravens along slowly and it seems to have paid dividends. Cravens, who was considered a hybrid linebacker/safety when he was drafted out of USC in second round, has been played exclusively at inside linebacker so he could learn defensive coordinator Joe Barry’s scheme. Cravens has played with inside linebacker Martrell Spaight and the second team in the first two preseason games. The Redskins installed a special package for him on third downs and he played with the starters on every third-down passing situation. When the regular season begins, it’s expected this is how Cravens will be used until they begin expanding his role.

How Cravens was used on Friday resembles the dime linebacker role the Redskins envisioned when they drafted him.

“He’s going to master this position so that we can branch off and use him in different areas,” Gruden said. “Pro football’s not that easy for a guy coming out of college to learn two or three positions.”

** It will be hard to envision another running back other than Robert Kelley making the roster as the third running back when the final round of cuts are made on Sept. 3. He had the edge on rookie Keith Marshall entering the third preseason game and it didn’t help that Marshall was injured, though it’s not expected to be serious. Still, Kelley ran hard and gained 51 yards on 12 carries, an average of 4.3 yards per carry. More importantly, he’s endeared himself to the coaching staff with his strong blitz pickups and he had a few on Friday night.

“I feel confident about how I played,” Kelley said. “I feel confident I gave myself a better opportunity to make the roster.”