Sunday Football Afterword: Falcons vs Redskins

Pierre Garçon had one of his best games as a Redskin,
catching 7 passes for 129 yards and a touchdown on 10 targets.

Cory Puffett

Washington came within a failed 2-pt conversion of victory in Atlanta on Sunday despite a -5 turnover differential. Robert Griffin III was deactivated earlier in the week for the remainder of the season and Kirk Cousins got his first start of the year and played a very good game.

Cousins did throw two interceptions, but neither was on a bad decision, just slightly inaccurate passes where he didn’t lead his receivers by quite enough. But he also threw three touchdowns and showed great field vision and nearly flawless mechanics.

Alfred Morris ran the ball well, picking up 98 yards on 18 carries. But he also lost two fumbles. Cousins lost a fumble and Santana Moss lost two for a total of seven turnovers by the Redskins.

Yet Atlanta failed to pull away. They led 14-0 late in the first quarter but trailed 20-17 at halftime.

Neither team was able to sustain drives in the second half, though Atlanta did have one scoring opportunity that ended with a failed 4^th & goal attempt from less than a foot outside the end zone.

Neither team is playing for much more than draft picks at this point. But for the Redskins, they certainly gave their fans back home a good game. Analysts may second-guess Washington’s decision to go for two instead of tying the game at the end, but at this point in the season, when the outcome doesn’t change much for your team, why make the game longer than it has to be? I liked the decision, even knowing that the try failed.

Kirk Cousins will start for the Redskins again Dallas next week and again the Giants in Week 17. If he continues to do well he could be traded for a high draft pick this offseason. Of course, the option certainly remains that he could be kept as a backup for RGIII or maybe even given the chance to compete for the starting job next year. After Sunday’s game, a lot of Redskins fans would not be opposed to him getting a fair shot.

Final Score:

Washington Redskins – 26

Atlanta Falcons – 27