John Matthews
WMAL.com
ASHBURN, VA — (WMAL) When you’re on a roll, you’re on a roll.
Hours after extending their winning streak to four games with a regular season-ending 34-23 crushing of the Dallas Cowboys, the Redskins learned they will be hosting the one playoff team that has been reeling just as Washington has been getting hot. The Redskins will host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday at 4:40pm at FedEx Field.
The Packers fell into the Redskins’ lap by losing Sunday night to the Minnesota Vikings, who will host the white-hot Seattle Seahawks in the other NFC Wild Card matchup at 1:15 Sunday afternoon.
Green Bay has been one of the most disappointing teams in football over the second half of the season. After opening with six straight wins, the Pack stumbled down the stretch with a 4 and 6 record. It’s once-potent offense has had trouble developing any rhythm whatsoever, and the Packers finished winless at home against its own division for the first time since 1968.
The Redskins, for their part, have been on a hot streak, though their critics will quickly point out that Washington has yet to beat a team with a winning record. In a season where the Burgundy and Gold have had to pass a series of milestones – first winning on the road, then stringing together back-to-back wins, then mounting back-to-back road wins – they have been blessed with the most fortunate of all playoff scenarios by landing a date with the Pack.
Suddenly, the world is taking notice. The national narrative through December was that Washington was the best bad team in a bad division – the NFC “Least.” But after opening as a two-point home underdog to Green Bay, the Vegas oddsmakers quickly made the game move to “pick ’em” – a sure sign that gamblers are finally taking notice of Kirk Cousins and company. As well they should.
In little more than a cameo Sunday, Cousins sliced and diced the Cowboys, throwing for three easy touchdowns and rewriting the team record books. By passing for 176 yards, Cousins finished the season with the Redskins’ season record for yardage at 4,166 yards, breaking a mark set by Jay Schroeder in 1986.
“I’m happy for Kirk,” coach Jay Gruden said. “Kirk did a great job of staying within himself, and continuing to compete and study the game plan. He’s got a lot of confidence now. It’s great to see him progress. He’s got a chance to be a really good one.”
Cousins took a seat midway through the second quarter to avoid possible injury, but if he had stayed in the game, he could have threatened Sonny Jurgensen’s 48-year-old team record for touchdown passes. Jurgensen’s mark of 31 is safe for another year, as Cousins settled for 29 TDs. Cousins did, however, become the first Redskins quarterback to throw a touchdown in every game of a season, and his 69.8 percent completion percentage led the NFL.
For his part, the Redskins quarterback was happy to get the win and keep the team moving forward.
“9-7 sounds a lot better than 8-8,” Cousins said. “In addition to that, we felt that it was important to go into the postseason with some momentum and on a rhythm.”
Copyright 2016 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (PHOTO: Washington Redskins)
