EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Theoretically, the Washington Redskins had plenty of chances to mount a comeback in Sunday’s 18-10 loss to the New York Giants.
With just over three minutes left and trailing by eight, quarterback Kirk Cousins stepped on the field at Washington’s 27-yard line. In what could be Cousins’ final game in a Redskins uniform, the stage was set for a game-tying drive down the field.
Instead, Cousins threw his third interception of the day.
On Sunday, the 2017 Redskins went out with a whimper — finishing the season at 7-9.
“The fact of the matter is we never really got it going,” Cousins said. “I was just disappointed with the fact that we never really found a rhythm.”
Reports surfaced over the weekend that Redskins coach Jay Gruden would return next season for a fifth year, giving Washington another year of stability despite questions of who their quarterback will be next season.
Under Gruden, the Redskins had a chance to finish with three straight seasons of .500 or better. Gruden tried to downplay the mark, saying he just wanted to have his players finish strong.
Sunday’s effort was anything but.
The Redskins got off to a horrendous start. On just the second play of the game, Giants running back Orleans Darkwa broke off a 75-yard touchdown from the line of scrimmage. He went untouched, with multiple Redskins defenders late to react on the play.
After New York’s initial touchdown, Cousins threw an interception — his first of the day — at New York’s 19-yard line to linebacker Kelvin Sheppard. The Giants needed another two plays to take a 12-0 lead, this time with Eli Manning connecting with Hunter Sharp on a post route.
“This one didn’t go too well,” safety D.J. Swearinger said. “We made a lot of plays this week; we just got off to a slow start. The last two weeks I felt that we started to jell. I think we can build on these last few weeks as a defense.”
But the Redskins still had life, adjusting to the Giants offense after that. Over the next 48 minutes, Washington’s offense could barely muster anything. They lost two key pieces in the first quarter — running back Samaje Perine (ankle) and left tackle Ty Nsekhe (knee) — to injuries.
Cousins struggled throughout the game, going 20 for 37 with 154 yards and three interceptions.
“It wasn’t good,” Gruden said of Cousins’ performance. “But nobody on offense played good. I call the plays and it was awful. Any time you had a performance like this, it’s not good by anybody unfortunately.”
For a second straight year, Cousins and the Redskins had the opportunity to finish the season strong against the Giants at MetLife Stadium. Last year, the stakes were much more meaningful — with a potential playoff berth on the line. This year, Washington wanted to finish 8-8.
Neither happened. Cousins, though, was hesitant to draw any parallels.
He admitted to forcing plays. He constantly missed receivers and targets, like overthrowing Vernon Davis in the fourth quarter.
“Trying to force a big play sometimes makes matters worse,” Gruden said. “That’s something that happened today.”
Cousins’ lone touchdown came with just under eight minutes left in the first quarter, keeping the ball for a 12-yard rush.
The Redskins’ defense also suffered a setback, allowing 260 rushing yards to a Giants team notable for struggling to run the ball. New York continued to move the ball, adding two more field goals.
Still, Washington was in the contest for most of the game. It entered halftime trailing just 15-10 thanks to a 49-yard kick from Dustin Hopkins as time expired.
The Redskins even got the ball back to start the half with a shot at taking control of the game.
Instead, Cousins threw his second interception on just the third play of the half, under-throwing Ryan Grant.
The Redskins missed the playoffs for the second straight year. They head into the offseason with a number of questions surrounding them, primarily will Cousins be back.
Washington has the option of applying a third straight franchise tag, negotiating a long term deal, or letting him walk. Cousins said he would further go into detail about his future at an open charity event Friday.
Gruden said he wants his quarterback to return, but “it’s not always up to us.”
“We also have 18 or 19 other free agents that I would really like to care of also,” Gruden said. “So at the end of the day, we have a lot of work to do staff-wise, myself, player-wise.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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