Could the Washington Redskins Be a Dark Horse in the Wide-Open NFC East?

For the entirety of the 2015 NFL season, the NFC East has been a horror flick. But in most good scary movies, the killer is the guy you least expect. So while we've spent most of our time watching all of the drama unfold with the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles, we might want to begin asking questions about the less-heralded Washington Redskins. 

Rather quietly, the Redskins find themselves just half a game back of the first-place New York Giants. They've won two of three to get to 4-5 and have a chance to move into a tie for first while making a huge statement by beating the Carolina Panthers in Week 11. 

Washington might not be a Super Bowl contender, but the Redskins are healthy, balanced and finally have a semblance of stability at the quarterback position. And right now, they're the only team in the NFC East that can say that. 

It starts, as always these days, with the quarterback position, where Kirk Cousins has surprised many by taking practically every offensive snap nine games into a season that had a tumultuous outlook when Cousins replaced former franchise savior Robert Griffin III in the preseason. 

Cousins has generally been a turnover machine, which is why the expectation level was low entering 2015. This was probably his last chance. And while he's been far from perfect, he's turned it over just 10 times in nine games and has just one interception in his last three. 

Granted, that's still a relatively small sample size. But we've always known that if Cousins could limit his back-breaking mistakes, he'd possess the ability to experience success as an NFL starter.

And so far so good in 2015. He and MVP candidate Cam Newton have each thrown nine interceptions, a number "topped" by six other quarterbacks. Meanwhile, Cousins' 67.9 completion percentage ranks fourth among qualified passers. 

Quarterback	Comp.%
1. Tyrod Taylor	70.5
2. Drew Brees	69.5
3. Philip Rivers	69.0
4. Kirk Cousins	67.9
5. Tom Brady	67.8

This despite the fact that—according to Pro Football Focus—only four quarterbacks have had as many of their passes dropped as Cousins, a number which you'd think would regress toward the mean down the stretch. 

Since Week 7, Cousins has been the league's most accurate passer, per PFF, missing only 19 of 94 targets. Sure, he very rarely goes deep—he's yet to throw a touchdown pass beyond 20 yards in the air—and he hasn't been particularly effective under pressure, but he's rarely sacked and he's gaining momentum. 

Quarterback	Comp.%	TD-INT	YPA	Rating
1. Kirk Cousins	71.43	8-1	8.2	117.1
2. Jay Cutler	70.1	6-1	8.4	111.8
3. Marcus Mariota	69.84	4-1	8.8	111.6
4. Carson Palmer	62.61	9-2	8.8	109.8
5. Derek Carr	64.94	13-3	8.0	109.4
6. Drew Brees	70.81	13-6	8.4	107.6
7. Tom Brady	64.74	10-2	7.8	102.9

The 'Skins haven't been good since 2012, the "year of RG3." But a lot of the key cogs from that season—Trent Williams, Pierre Garcon, Alfred Morris, Ryan Kerrigan—are playing major roles this year. Add Cousins, a healthy DeSean Jackson and Jordan Reed, and rookie sensations Jamison Crowder and Matt Jones on offense, plus the presence of veterans Jason Hatcher and Terrance Knighton on defense, and you've got a sneaky-good top-end of a roster. 

But again, this has as much to do with the vulnerabilities of the NFC East as it does the strengths of the Redskins. 

The Giants continue to lead the NFL in finding ways to lose games, and it was confirmed on Monday that star receiver Victor Cruz will not return this year. They did beat the Redskins earlier this season, but now they have to travel to D.C. following their Week 11 bye. Beyond that, their final five games come against playoff contenders (the New York Jets, Dolphins, Panthers, Vikings, Eagles). 

The inconsistent Eagles, who have already lost to Washington, haven't played a truly solid game since Week 6, and starting quarterback Sam Bradford is expected to miss time due to head and shoulder injuries. Philly still has to travel to New England and has tough matchups with Buffalo, Arizona, the Giants on the road and Washington at home. 

And the Cowboys may be getting quarterback Tony Romo back, but they've lost seven consecutive games to fall 2.5 back of the Giants and two back of Washington and Philly. They still face the Redskins twice but also have to play Green Bay and Buffalo on the road and Carolina at home. 

Game	Cowboys	Giants	Eagles	'Skins
Week 11	@ Dolphins	Bye	Bucs	@ Panthers
Week 12	Panthers	@ Redskins	@ Lions	Giants
Week 13	@ Redskins	Jets	Patriots	Cowboys
Week 14	@ Packers	@ Dolphins	Bills	@ Bears
Week 15	Jets	Panthers	Cardinals	Bills
Week 16	@ Bills	@ Vikings	Redskins	@ Eagles
Week 17	Redskins	Eagles	@ Giants	@ Cowboys
Opponent record	37-26	33-21	36-28	31-33

So, why not the Redskins, who play four of their final seven games within that struggling, depleted division? We've all been suspicious of their buzzworthy peers, who continue to get more screen time, but maybe the 'Skins are actually destined to slay everyone else in the horrifying NFC East. 

Brad Gagnon has covered the NFL for Bleacher Report since 2012.

Follow @Brad_Gagnon