Washington Redskins vs. Philadelphia Eagles: Twitter Reaction, Postgame Quotes

Dropping any game on the road to a division rival hurts, but it's particularly painful when you amass 511 yards and still lose. That's the reality the Washington Redskins must face up to after losing 34-37 to the Philadelphia Eagles.

If there's one silver lining, the Redskins know they have the right quarterback under center. Kirk Cousins proved last week's performance was no fluke.

Making a full start while Robert Griffin III remains sidelined, Cousins threw for a career-high 427 yards and three touchdowns. Those are very promising numbers that prove the Redskins can compete in any game with Cousins leading the offense.

Head coach Jay Gruden confirmed as much after the game, per Zac Boyer of The Washington Times:

Cousins certainly showed a true mastery of Gruden and coordinator Sean McVay's offense. He spread the ball around and made big plays off bootlegs and play-action passes.

The only blotches on Cousins' copybook came in the fourth quarter. He pitched an interception to safety Malcolm Jenkins that led to a field goal.

But his three missed throws on Washington's final possession, when positioned to strike for the go-ahead score, will fester in the young quarterback's mind. Cousins highlighted one miss, a third-down shot to Andre Roberts, as particularly irritating, per ESPN 980:

Yet, despite his late flop and Sunday's disappointment, Cousins has proved he's a quarterback this team can win games with this season. He'll certainly help this offense produce the points its vast array of weapons demands.

One of those weapons, DeSean Jackson, was on the receiving end of five of Cousins' passes for 117 yards, including an 81-yard scoring catch. The former Philadelphia Eagles star has endorsed his growing rapport with Cousins, per the team's official Twitter feed:

Jackson's positive words are no surprise after his most productive game since signing for Washington. It's also obvious this team is behind Cousins and confident in the potential of the offense with the backup passer running it.

That's a major boost when considering how long the Redskins could rely on Cousins while Griffin nurses his injured ankle. Gruden offered a clue about long his team's fortunes could be tied to Cousins this season: 

If Cousins plays as well as he did for the majority of the game in Philadelphia, this franchise will have a hard time justifying putting a fit-again Griffin back under center.

The second overall pick in 2012 has been quick to praise his teammates even after watching Cousins light up the scoreboards in a way that should put his job in jeopardy:

However, while things are looking good for the offense, the picture isn't anywhere near as rosy for the defense. Yielding 37 points (well, 30 to be exact) is always a worrying sign, even when it comes against an offense as high-powered as Philadelphia's fast-break unit.

But it isn't just the performance that should concern coordinator Jim Haslett. He will likely also be fretting over an injury list that isn't so much growing as threatening to spiral out of control.

The latest victim is cornerback DeAngelo Hall, the team's best cover man. Unfortunately, the initial prognosis makes for depressing reading, per Mike Jones of The Washington Post:

Losing Hall long term would be a massive blow to an already suspect secondary. The Eagles burned Washington's coverage schemes for 325 yards and three scores.

With Hall off the field, rookie Bashaud Breeland was forced into action. That meant more inexperience on the edges.

Hall's experience will be as big a miss as his generally solid play. As one of the senior figures on the unit, the 30-year-old's authority and leadership, vocal or otherwise, are key intangibles.

They are qualities that the younger players in Haslett's group often lean on. Second-year pro and Hall's fellow starting cornerback David Amerson has already suggested as much:

However, it wasn't just the defensive backfield that suffered in Philadelphia. Outside linebacker Brian Orakpo was one of two front seven playmakers laid low by injury:

Defensive tackle Jason Hatcher also pulled up lame:

Haslett's defense needs two of its best pass-rushers fully fit and available for Week 4's game against the New York Giants. The duo is key to this defense's ability to show different looks up front and create pressure without risking heavy blitz concepts.

The pass rush, at least the ability to harass and hit the quarterback, was one of the few positives for the defense today. Although Eagles passer Nick Foles wasn't sacked, he was subjected to a heavy beating and regularly swarmed on in the pocket. Only consistent bad angles in coverage prevented the rush from creating big plays for the defense.

But as much as the defense might have struggled to cope with Philly's plethora of offensive talent, the special teams deserves the brunt of the blame for this defeat.

That's become a depressingly familiar theme in recent seasons. Despite remaking the unit at both the coaching and personnel levels this offseason, Washington's special teams is still a weekly liability.

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

ESPN.com Redskins reporter John Keim detailed how dire play in football's third phase consistently undermined Washington:

"

Special teams is way down. Again, this group allowed too many points and missed too many others. The Eagles' kick return for a touchdown came right after the Redskins had taken a 7-0 lead; a huge hole followed. Kai Forbath later missed a 33-yard field goal attempt on another brutal day, which seems too much like, oh, a few years. But the run defense was up. The Redskins bottled up McCoy, who managed just 22 yards on 20 carries. Very few yards after contact and few defenders missing tackle attempts. They forced him back inside to where they had help and more bodies.

"

New coordinator Ben Kotwica has hardly summoned positive winds of change since succeeding Keith Burns. His unit botched a punt that led to seven for the Houston Texans in Week 1 and now has a second black mark against it.

But the real double doom for Washington is the two losses already incurred this season. Since Sunday's came against an NFC East rival, this wild near-miss against the Eagles rates as the most damaging.

That makes beating the Giants critical, even at this early stage. Gruden and Kotwica must fix the special teams while Haslett does all he can to hold his patchwork defense together.

At least the offense is in good shape.

All statistics via NFL.com.