Can Kirk Cousins, Redskins Offense Fix Problems Before It's Too Late?

A month into the 2014 NFL regular season, only two quarterbacks have had a four-interception game and only seven have posted a single-game passer rating under 55.0. Kirk Cousins of the Washington Redskins has started just twice, but he's on both of those lists after a complete meltdown in Week 4 against the New York Giants. 

Cousins threw four second-half interceptions in the blowout loss, completing just six passes on 14 throws after intermission. It was the fifth game in a row—dating back to last December—in which he became glaringly less effective in the second half than he was during the first two quarters. 

So, what exactly happened to Cousins in his worst performance as a pro Thursday night? 

He's pushing too hard

This has always been a Cousins problem, but in his defense he's been forced into near-impossible situations in relief of Robert Griffin III. Thursday, after an ugly first-half all around put Washington in a three-score hole at halftime, Cousins lost patience. 

That was evident on his first throw of the second half, with his team down 17 points but in possession of the ball and running back Alfred Morris having just picked up five yards on first down. No reason to panic. Yet Cousins drops back and—under very little pressure—ignores two safe underneath options in order to swing for the fences with a well-covered Pierre Garcon:

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He was lucky that throw wasn't picked off by Prince Amukamara:

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The Giants were somewhat vulnerable on the short stuff, as was evidenced by a 36-yard pickup from running back Roy Helu on a catch-and-run a couple plays later. But Cousins was trying to get it all back with one throw. 

He's staring down receivers 

This was the case time and again Thursday, as Amukamara noted. 

"That was great for us, great for our safeties, because wherever [Cousins] looked, he was going," the cornerback said after the game, per ESPN.com's Dan Graziano.

Sometimes it seriously felt as though Cousins—to steal a line from Bleacher Report colleague Alessandro Miglio—was quite literally looking safeties off toward the receivers he was throwing to. One such example on his fourth pick:

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That made it way too easy for Giants safety Antrel Rolle to cut off the deep pass and make the interception. It's an ugly habit that has to be kicked quickly. 

Oftentimes, he simply hasn't been accurate enough

I don't necessarily think Cousins' decision to go to wide receiver Ryan Grant on his first interception was a bad one. It was somewhat of a risky throw considering how little space there was between Grant and Amukamara, but if you direct the ball to Grant's back shoulder, it's an incomplete pass at the very worst. 

The dotted red arrow indicates where the pass should have been thrown. The black arrow indicates where it went. 

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That can't happen. If you're going to take risks in this league, you have to at least be semi-accurate. 

His mechanics are sloppy

Cousins simply lacks consistency in his mechanics. Sometimes, he exhibits what appears to be perfect technique. Other times—often when he's pressing—he disregards his footwork, throws off his back foot and loses his balance.

That was on display when he threw his second interception Thursday. He dropped back into the end zone with no pressure, yet it appeared he forgot to plant while falling back on a throw that didn't need to be made. In fact, this was a play that basically summed up all of Cousins' problems:

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So, he's got some work to do....

Not all on Kirk

Of course, as Redskins head coach Jay Gruden noted, this loss wasn't all on the third-year quarterback, according to ESPN.com's John Keim:

"

We lost the game. He didn’t play well, he threw four picks, but he didn’t get a lot of help, either...The defense didn’t help out. The line didn’t help out. The receivers didn’t help him out. It wasn’t just Kirk. His mistakes were magnified, but other guys' mistakes were equally important and devastating. We have to work to get better, and we will. We won’t hold Kirk’s head under the water.

"

But Cousins wasn't under a ton of pressure Thursday, and only one of his passes were dropped. Pro Bowl running back Alfred Morris averaged 5.3 yards per carry but only got 12 carries, which is why Gruden should also be pointing a finger at himself. 

Under Mike and Kyle Shanahan in 2012 and 2013, this offense was almost always well-balanced. But Gruden—who came from Cincinnati with a reputation for bailing on the run—hasn't been as disciplined. It's a play-calling crime that Morris received that many carries in Week 4, even with Washington falling behind early. The Redskins threw the ball 67 percent of time against New York, which put too much pressure on a quarterback making his sixth career start. 

On top of all that, right tackle Tyler Polumbus was a turnstile, linebacker Keenan Robinson couldn't make a tackle, defensive backs Brandon Meriweather and Bashaud Breeland were abused and top cornerback DeAngelo Hall—out for the year with a torn Achilles' tendon—wasn't there to save them.

Point being, the circumstances in D.C. will make it particularly hard for Cousins to come back from what happened Thursday. This isn't an overnight fix, and now the 'Skins have to once again play under the nationally televised spotlight in Week 5—this time against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and their world-class defense. 

Already in a 1-3 hole, Cousins and the Redskins are on the verge of falling right out of contention before first frost. 

Brad Gagnon has covered the NFC East for Bleacher Report since 2012.

Follow @Brad_Gagnon