Can Kirk Cousins turn things around in Washington?

The Washington Redskins were forced to turn to Kirk Cousins at quarterback when Robert Griffin III once again went down with injury, and they have received two very different performances from him in his two starts. He put up 427 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception in a 37-34 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in his first start, and backed that up with 257 yards, one touchdown, and four interceptions in a blowout loss against the New York Giants this past week.

More from NFL

Cousins has received a lot of heat from Redskins’ fans since the Giants game, and fans are already wanting Griffin back in as the starter. Just three short weeks ago the same fans were clamoring for Cousins to get a chance at quarterback with Griffin struggling. Can Cousins turn things back around in Washington and keep hold of his starting job?

There is no question that Cousins has the talent to play at the NFL level, but he has to get used to the speed of the game. It’s difficult for a backup quarterback to have to jump in immediately and start, especially when the backup quarterback has played in just 11 career games and is in his third season. Experience is key at this level, and Cousins simply hasn’t been able to play enough to learn the game in its entirety.

So the question remains, can Cousins turn things around in Washington and get back to playing good football?

Absolutely he can, and there is no question about it. He has shown that he has a great arm with good instincts, but he put up a bad game against a division rival team that was hungry for a win. The Giants aren’t a good football team, but then again the Redskins weren’t a good football team with Griffin either.

It’s going to be a very difficult couple of weeks for Cousins, but that doesn’t mean that he will put up bad numbers each week. As he continues to take more first team snaps in practice, he will continue getting more comfortable with the offense and that will transfer into better play on the field. The Redskins saw Cousins’ full potential two weeks ago in a loss to the Eagles, and his arm looked extremely good and his play immediately started debates about whether or not he should take over the starting quarterback role regardless of Griffin returning.

All of that being said, it is way too early to begin worrying about Cousins after one bad game. He has shown throughout his career that he has a lot of raw talent that needs to be worked out, and playing time will do just that for him. Griffin still isn’t too close to returning, so the Redskins and their fans will continue seeing Cousins play and improve each and every game.

More on FanSided.com

Brett Favre predicts lopsided Packers victory over Vikings
NFL Winners and Losers: Week 4
NFL Week 4 overreactions
San Francisco 49ers GM refutes rift
Five NFL greats who could retire at season end

Home/NFL