To put Kirk Cousins’ year into context: It’s not even Thanksgiving yet, and the Washington Redskins quarterback already has the 21st best season for passing yardage in franchise history.
He has thrown for 3,091 yards so far. Only 23 quarterbacks in Redskins history have broken the 3,000-yard mark. He’s on pace to throw for 4,956 yards, which would pulverize his franchise record of 4,166 yards a season ago. The 28-year-old quarterback is at the helm of offensive diversification the likes of which Washington has not seen prior.
No quarterback in Redskins history has averaged more than 300 passing yards per game for a season. The closest? Cousins from last year, of course, when he supplanted Mark Rypien’s 1989 season as tops in Washington history with 285 passing yards per game.
To reach this point, Cousins is using mass distribution tactics. The Redskins’ leader in receiving yards is Jamison Crowder, who is just a blip in the national consciousness and 27th overall in receiving yards in the league. Of the top 10 quarterbacks in passing yards, only Tennessee’s Marcus Mariota works to a top receiver who has fewer yards than Crowder. The Titans’ leading receiver, Delanie Walker, has 32 fewer yards than Crowder.
Second in yards for Washington is Pierre Garcon, who had his best game in two years on Sunday night against the Green Bay Packers. Garcon is in the final season of his five-year contract with Washington. He will be an unrestricted free agent next season who turns 31 years old before Week 1. Though a reduction in use the past two seasons may have irked Garcon, it also could be a benefit for him in the long run. Sunday’s game will be in his agent’s presentation to possible suitors. Not only did Garcon do his typical hard-hat work over the middle or out to the sidelines to pick up first downs, he also mixed in a 70-yard touchdown, his longest reception since 2014. He is on pace for his best season since 2013, which was also the best of his nine-year career.
“He has the potential to do it all,” Cousins said. “He was brought here to be a No. 1 receiver for a reason when [Coach Mike] Shanahan brought him in. He has the juice and can go down the field and can make a lot of plays. He’s the real deal. The great thing about him too is he’s such a competitor. He blocks in the run game, and he competes down in and down out. It matters to him. He’s the total package and he showed it tonight. It’s a joy. I’ve said this before about him. It’s a joy to be able to play alongside him.”
Add Jordan Reed, one of the best pass-catching tight ends in the league, a resurgent Vernon Davis, plus DeSean Jackson’s breakaway speed, and Cousins is working with stunning offensive variety.
Making his life easier of late is undrafted rookie Robert Kelley. Sunday, he ran for more than 100 yards in a game for the first time since high school. After a heavy tilt toward the pass to open the season, Washington has regained balance with Kelley as the lead back. His performances — he’s averaging 5 yards per carry — have increased his exposure, which has in turn made Kelley push back at congratulatory language.
“I feel good about getting that sixth win and I’ve been getting too much credit,” Kelley said Sunday. “It’s the offensive line, man. I feel like I came out, I was into something and those guys pulled me out, put me on their back and kept going and that’s what we did.”
Pulling everyone together has put Washington third in total yards — just 36 yards from the top offense in the league. It is second in yards per game. The only detriment remains red-zone efficiency. Washington is 28th in touchdown percentage in the red zone, the main reason their otherwise potent offense is ninth in scoring.
“Well, we always have room to grow, but you can see the progress and you can see the ability that we have in the running game and the passing game,” Redskins coach Jay Gruden said Monday, citing similarities between the Redskins’ attack and the team Washington faces on Thanksgiving Day in Texas: The division-leading Dallas Cowboys. “When we have that type of balance, we’re dangerous, and that’s why Dallas is 9-1 right now, because they are playing with great balance.
“They have Dez Bryant, they have [Ezekiel] Elliott and Jason Witten. They’re doing an excellent job of keeping you off balance with the play action and the bootlegs, the drop backs, and we’re in a similar spot right now. It’ll be a great matchup. I love the way our offense is playing. I love the way our offensive line is playing, No. 1, and then Kirk, the decision-making and the accuracy that he’s playing with is at a very high level, an elite level right now.”
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