ASHBURN — Kirk Cousins revealed Sunday that he “heard it from the grapevine” the New Orleans Saints had one game plan for the Redskins game if tight end Jordan Reed was playing, and another if he wasn’t.
Certainly, teams are accounting for which of the Redskins playmakers will be available on game days. But Cousins acknowledged he’s doing the same.
The Redskins quarterback said he’s factoring in — to a point — which players “have been there before and done that” and how many times a play has been practiced when he drops back to pass.
“Sometimes we just have to trust it,” Cousins said. “We have to go and just play and believe that however new this player is, he’s gotta make the play. He’s got a jersey and a number and he can do it.”
It’s going to take more of that mentality if the Redskins want to make the playoffs.
Amid all the injuries and setbacks, the Redskins are 5-6 and still somehow in the playoff race. The odds are incredibly long — there’s just a 2.1 percent chance, per ESPN’s Football Power Index.
But that longshot journey starts Thursday with a rematch against the Dallas Cowboys, who are suddenly 5-6 after losing three straight. Thursday’s game in Dallas also concludes a stretch of just three games in 12 days for the Redskins.
Coach Jay Gruden said his team’s energy at practice Sunday went as expected, given his players were still worn out from two games in seven days. The practice, Gruden said, was more about getting fundamentals down.
The Redskins are still fitting in new personnel, after all. Following Washington’s 20-10 win Thursday over the New York Giants, both Cousins and Gruden said they felt the absence of running back Chris Thompson, who suffered a season-ending broken leg against the New Orleans Saints.
Still, the Giants win was a step in the right direction. Washington doesn’t have much room for error going forward.
Right now, the Redskins have four teams ahead of them for the final wild card spot in the NFC and are two games back of the 7-4 Falcons.
Redskins cornerback Josh Norman said “it’s a blessing” the Redskins are still mathematically alive for the playoffs, considering the injuries and their brutal late-game losses.
“You take away all the dust and the smoke and everything else that people really say about this team and you see what type of fighters and guys we get off the street and come in and play and still win games, it’s pretty great,” Norman said. “It’s a pretty amazing, remarkable feat.”
The Redskins won’t be facing the same Cowboys team that beat them 33-19 in Week 8. For one, running back Ezekiel Elliott is serving a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. Dallas has also struggled without linebacker Sean Lee, who has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury.
Washington found a recipe for success against the Giants, even if large stretches of that game were horrendous to watch. Running back Samaje Perine stabilized the offense in the second half with 97 yards rushing, and Cousins made big throws to carry them to a win.
Regarding Cousins, Gruden said “you would be a blind man” to not see the progress his quartrback has made throughout his career. Cousins has a history of helping his team make a run down the stretch — finishing 9-7 in 2015 to make the playoffs after a 3-5 start.
But he didn’t have the same luck last year, throwing two interceptions in a Week 17 loss to the Giants that would have marked a playoff berth if successful.
For another season, the Redskins’ final five games could come down to the way Cousins performs — even if it’s not fair to place the credit or blame at the hands of just one player.
“It’s kind of like baseball — October right? Mr. October?” Gruden said. “Those are money games. … Consistency is very important but the bigger the game, the bigger the show you want your quarterback to have. Hopefully he will put himself in a position where he can make the plays at critical times.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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