Robert Griffin III Replacement Kirk Cousins Justifying Jay Gruden's Faith in Him

Betting on a quarterback who has made throwing costly interceptions his favorite pastime looked a fool's gamble from Jay Gruden. But Kirk Cousins justified his head coach's faith and took a major step forward for the Washington Redskins by leading a game-winning drive to beat the Philadelphia Eagles 23-20 on Sunday.

Cousins was brilliant on the 15-play, 90-yard march that helped the Burgundy and Gold reach .500 with a quarter of the 2015 NFL season in the books. He was gutsy, accurate and clutch—not three qualities usually associated with the often mentally fragile 2012 fourth-round pick.

So often in the past, Cousins' response to adverse situations has been to hit the self-destruct button and keep it pressed down. This season—his big opportunity after supplanting the hapless Robert Griffin III as starter—was shaping up to look like more of the same.

Cousins hurled two boneheaded interceptions during Week 3's 32-21 loss to the New York Giants. He'd already slung a pair of picks in the 17-10 opening-day defeat to the Miami Dolphins.

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

Whenever pressure had been applied this season, Cousins had wilted and reverted to type.

Week 4 seemed headed for a familiar letdown. After building a 13-0 lead mostly on the strength of defense and Cousins' own quick thinking near the goal line, the Redskins then proceeded to do what they've done since Week 2: lose the third quarter.

Eventually, the Eagles had staked themselves into a 20-16 lead. Washington's defense had gone from a fortress to a playground for Philly quarterback Sam Bradford and his receivers. Offensively, penalties, dropped passes and a lack of big plays stalled drive after drive.

The Redskins were facing a depressingly familiar narrative. They were giving away a game that had seemed impossible to lose.

What the Burgundy and Gold needed was a spark, a livener, a reviver. And it had to come from only one man, the quarterback.

This had to be the moment when Cousins proved he could be more than just a game manager. He had to show he's a quarterback who can win games on his own merits.

Fortunately, No. 8 answered the bell.

Supplemented by a nice mix of running and passing, the Redskins nudged themselves up the field into position to win the game. Kudos belongs to Alfred Morris for kick-starting the march with his best runs of a day of otherwise tough sledding.

His efforts were aided by Pierre Garcon, the Velcro-handed wideout who caught the game-winner from four yards out.

Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

But while two of Washington's forgotten heroes reminded us all how valuable they still are, it was Cousins who really stood out. His hands were on the ball when the game was on the line.

In a game he needed as much as his team, Gruden made Cousins his closer when it counted. It was the right call.

The 27-year-old's command of the line of scrimmage, excellent all afternoon, was never better than on that final march. He audibled and moved personnel around as though there were more than mere seconds to go.

The quarterback, who has often crumbled when things have gotten tough, showed real poise, as noted by Thom Loverro of the Washington Times:

Cousins came through big on clutch throws to Garcon, Ryan Grant and Jordan Reed to sustain the drive. Under pressure from the Eagles defense, the game clock, the weight of expectation and those RG3 fans just itching for him to fail, Cousins let his right arm quiet the noise.

His last pass was his best. Garcon will take the plaudits for snatching the ball literally from between the fingers of two Eagles defensive backs. But it was Cousins' bravado that gave No. 88 his chance to own the spotlight.

Cousins showed no fear when he zipped a laser blast into a window no bigger than a postage stamp. Mike Jones of the Washington Post was suitably impressed by the pinpoint clutch pass:

More impressive than the throw itself was the attitude behind it. Cousins didn't shy away from the occasion. He didn't think this might be another interception followed by a mountain of negative press and scrutiny.

Instead of playing it safe, Cousins showed real confidence in his own ability to make a game-winning play. That's the kind of bravado a competent starter must possess.

NFL Media's Albert Breer bluntly summed it up well:

Prior to the Eagles game, Gruden, under no small amount of pressure after losing to the Giants, was unequivocal in his support for Cousins. He made his feelings clear, per Breer (h/t Conor Orr of NFL.com):

"

We're 1-2 right now, but we're hoping it pays dividends. We've got all the confidence in the world in him. As an organization, we all came to the same conclusion. It's not like the room was split. [...] Collectively, it was unanimous. We're all sticking by the plan and we're showing Kirk that we have confidence in him. And hopefully it pays off and he'll get better every game.

"

When Cousins took to the field at his own 10-yard line with just over six minutes left and staring down the barrel of another defeat, Gruden might have regretted those words.

Yet 90 yards and one attitude-changing, game-winning drive later, Cousins now has a few more believers on his side.

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