The NFC East has been derided for its mediocrity all season, but one team is finally emerging from the pack.
Kirk Cousins, who was criticized heavily early in the year for his penchant for turnovers, has been stellar over the past two months and led Washington to sole possession of first place. At 7-7, all they must do now is top the Eagles in Philly on Saturday to earn their first division crown since RGIII’s boffo campaign in 2012.
Cousins, who leads the NFL in completion percentage (69.7%), tossed four touchdowns Sunday and ran for another in a 35-25 victory over the Buffalo Bills. The fourth-year signal caller was 22 of 28 passing for 319 yards with no turnovers to give Washington their first consecutive victories in over one year.
Since deep threat DeSean Jackson returned in Week 9, Cousins ranks second in the league in yards per attempt – behind Seattle’s Russell Wilson – and owns a 112.8 passer rating over that span (13 TDs and 3 INTs). Tight end Jordan Reed has been a nightmare for safeties and linebackers, with 74 receptions for 774 yards and nine touchdowns.
Washington’s passing game is firing on all cylinders right now, but if they lose to the Eagles, they could be on the outside looking in once again. Philadelphia would then control their fate, with a Week 17 victory over the Giants putting them in the post-season.
Even if they miss out on the playoffs once again, Washington have found their long-term solution at football’s most important position. Cousins has proven that he’s at least capable of starting-quality play in a league with only a handful of great quarterbacks.
He has a good arm, moves well in the pocket (five rushing scores) and has been lauded for his leadership. His floor appears to be middling starter. His ceiling appears to be much greater.
After all, Cousins is still learning on the job, with just 28 career starts. He’s shown tremendous growth over the second half of the season alone. Early on, he had a penchant for forcing throws that weren’t there, and it would snowball. One interception would turn into three, and the calls for Griffin grew louder and louder in DC.
Now, Cousins has Washington on the brink of hosting a playoff contest, and the fan base has rallied around him, with his trademark line “You like that?” being chanted during Sunday’s win.
The inspired play couldn’t have come at a better time for Cousins, who is in a contract year. The QB market is shallow as always, and as the top available name, will command top dollar.
But he’s not going anywhere. General manager Scot McCloughan has found the club’s QB solution.
“He’s definitely gotten better,” said franchise player Trent Williams, Cousin’s blindside protector. “We had faith in him the whole time. But he continues to grow and he’s playing lights out.”
Now Cousins and co must top Eagles to keep the surprise season going.
Quote of the day
“You’re going to be Michael Jackson and go around and dancing and playing and a lot of other stuff and not be a football player and not train the way you’re supposed to train. It goes to show. I hope I pulled that mask off. I pulled back the face of what that dude really is. You want to play football, play football. Don’t come out here and do all that extra stuff.” – Panthers cornerback Josh Norman, commenting on his scraps with Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
Beckham was flagged three times for unnecessary roughness during the 38-35 loss, and ran full steam at Norman with a blindside hit on particularly dirty play. Norman also was penalized for the same infraction during the chippy contest, which the Panthers won via last-second field goal to keep their undefeated campaign intact.
Stat of the day
21. The numbers of touchdowns Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker have combined for this season, tops among wide receiving duos. Decker added his 10th score in Saturday’s win over Dallas, the Jets’ fourth consecutive victory. Marshall has 93 catches for 1,261 yards, while Decker has 72 for 930, both league bests for a pair of wideouts.
Fantasy player of the day
Antonio Brown, wide receiver, Pittsburgh Steelers. Brown showed once again why he’s considered by many as the best wideout in the league. The speedster torched the NFL’s best defense, the Denver Broncos, with 16 receptions for 189 yards and two touchdowns during the Steelers’ 34-27 victory. Brown now has 116 catches for 1,586 yards and nine touchdowns during another stellar season. Pittsburgh would sneak in the playoffs as the No6 seed if the season ended today. They close the regular season out with road games against division rivals Baltimore and Ravens.
How the Patriots cheated this week
When you play a team as lowly as the Titans, there’s no need to cheat. New England rolled over Tennessee as expected, with a 33-16 victory. The win clinched a first-round bye for the Pats at 12-2. It’s the fifth consecutive season Tom Brady and co will enjoy a break during the wild-card round, all the more time to plot mischievous hijinks to gain an advantage for when the games really count.
Gif of the week
Who is David Johnson and how did he steal beastmode from Marshawn Lynch? https://t.co/2U1bfeV35y pic.twitter.com/xoZM1OD30z
— SB Nation GIF (@SBNationGIF) December 21, 2015
David Johnson has been revelation for the Cardinals. The rookie exploded for a career game against the Eagles on Sunday night, rushing for 187 yards and three touchdowns. The 40-17 victory clinched the NFC West title for Arizona, and gave them a franchise best 12th win this season. The Cards have also set a team record with 445 points.
Elsewhere around the league
— The Seahawks started slow this season but once again are back in the playoffs. Seattle has now reeled off five consecutive wins and clinched a wild-card spot with a 30-13 win over the Browns. Russell Wilson is playing some of the best football of his career, and so is Doug Baldwin, who has surprised everyone with his play this season. He caught two more touchdowns on Sunday to give him 13 on the year, tying a franchise record.
— The Bengals, despite losing Andy Dalton to a thumb injury, also clinched a playoff berth. AJ McCarron, the first Alabama QB to start and win an NFL game since 1988, smoothly filled in v the 49ers. He passed for 192 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions during his first career start. The Bengals are optimistic Dalton will return for the postseason.
— Philip Rivers gave the Chargers’ faithful something to cheer about in what could be the team’s swan song in San Diego. They’ve had a disappointing season, but beat the Dolphins 30-14, with running back Danny Woodhead catching three TDs. The Charges are under consideration to relocate to Los Angeles in 2016, and Rivers was emotional after the game.
“The atmosphere today was awesome,” he said. “Shoot, they’re still out there now like we just won a playoff game, and we just got our fourth win. It was a special day. If it is the last one – and that’s what I kind of told the guys before the game – they’ve been playing football in this town before any of us were born and there’s people that are going to be at that game today that were coming to games before we were born. We get to close it out. If it is the end, we get to finish it off. Hopefully, the fans that have seen it over the years and the players that have played in there can be proud today that we at least ended it the right way.”
— The Chiefs started the season 1-5, but after eight consecutive wins are on the brink of the playoffs. And they’ve done it all without Jamaal Charles. Kansas City had no problem dispatching Baltimore on Sunday with a 34-14 victory. They close the season with games against the Browns and Raiders and can still leapfrog the Broncos for the NFC West title.
— Peyton Manning is still dealing with the effects of a torn plantar fascia in his left foot, but when he’s ready to return, it’s unlikely his job will be waiting for him. Manning was awful before being sidelined, and Brock Osweiler has excelled in his stead. NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported that Manning doesn’t want to accept a backup role, something the future Hall of Famer angrily refuted to ESPN’s Jeff Legwold. “It’s (BS) and it’s insulting,” he said.
— The Packers remain one game ahead of the Vikings in the NFC North race after topping the Raiders, 30-20, and clinched a playoff berth in the process. Minnesota also won to keep pace, with a rout of the Bears, and play Green Bay in the season finale. The Pack meets the Cards in Week 16, and the Vikings play the Giants, so the Week 17 contest could decide the division, although both teams are primed for the post-season.
— The Texans took sole possession of first place in the embarrassing AFC South with a 16-10 road win over the Colts. TJ Yates, who was filing in for Brian Hoyer (concussion), was injured during the contest, giving way to Brandon Weeden. And he was serviceable, passing for 105 yards and one touchdown. Unfortunately, one of these clubs with host a playoff game in January.
