Stock Up, Stock Down for NFL Quarterbacks in 2015
The title pretty much says it all. We're taking a look at all 32 NFL teams and their primary starting quarterbacks this season.
To be totally accurate, while we will be giving our thumbs up or thumbs down on each of the club’s main signal-callers (as well as bringing you up to date on any changes at the position), that doesn’t mean we won’t be referencing their play from last season. For instance, have any of these players picked up where they left off in 2014, either positively or negatively?
Obviously, we are going to be exercising some common sense here. Teams such as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans have started three different quarterbacks this season, and all told, 13 clubs have used at least two different starting signal-callers in 2015.
It’s safe to say we know who each team’s primary starter is, even though they may not have been at the controls in Week 11 or may be out for the remainder of the season.
Got it? Here we go.
Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals (Stock Up)
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One could only hope Super Bowl 50 is as wild and fun as Sunday night’s 34-31 tilt between the Arizona Cardinals and Cincinnati Bengals in Glendale, Arizona.
It was yet another terrific outing by Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer, who shook off a pair of early interceptions and wound up throwing for 317 yards and four scores. He currently leads the NFL with 27 touchdown passes, pending what New England’s Tom Brady (24) does on Monday night against the Buffalo Bills.
Palmer’s run with the Cards continues to be impressive. In his last 25 games with the club dating back to 2013, he’s sported a 21-4 record, throwing more than twice as many touchdown passes (54) than interceptions (21). And this season to date, he’s remained healthy as opposed to last season when he managed to play in only six games.
Should we call him "Most Valuable Palmer"?
Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons (Stock Down)
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When you open the season 5-0 and then drop four of your next five games, fingers will be pointed.
Such is the case when it comes to the Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who saw his team squander a 14-point third-quarter lead at home on Sunday in a 24-21 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
While the eight-year pro threw for 280 yards and three touchdowns, he was also picked off three times—Colts linebacker D’Qwell Jackson returned one of those miscues six yards for a score.
For the season, Ryan has thrown 15 touchdown passes while turning over the football 13 times, including 10 interceptions. He’s been picked off six times in his last four games, which certainly hasn’t helped his team’s cause.
The former Pro Bowler is certainly capable of bouncing back, but he’s not playing his best football these days.
Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens (Stock Down)
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Forget his stock. Quarterback Joe Flacco is sadly down and out for the remainder of the season.
The Baltimore Ravens signal-caller tore his ACL and "likely his MCL" in his left knee on the first play of the final drive of a game the Ravens managed to squeak out over the St. Louis Rams, 16-13, per Garrett Downing of the team's website.
“I wanted to win a game,” Flacco told reporters following the game. “I don't know if [staying on the field] was the best thing, but it’s just a reaction.”
We would expect nothing less from the strong-armed passer, who started 122 consecutive regular-season contests and 15 postseason games since entering the league in 2008.
To be clear, we are not in the business of kicking a person when he's down. Flacco's evaluation is based on his recent play, not the injury that will cause him to miss a game and start for the first time in his eight-year NFL career. In 10 games this season, he’s thrown just 14 touchdown passes and turned over the ball 14 times.
And in case you think this is a recent trend, consider these numbers: Flacco has connected for 60 scores but has been picked off 46 times in 42 regular-season games dating back to the start of the 2013 season.
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Tyrod Taylor, Buffalo Bills (Stock Up)
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In his first season as a starter in the NFL, one-time Baltimore Ravens sixth-round draft choice Tyrod Taylor (2011) has shown us plenty of positives.
In seven outings this season, the former Virginia Tech standout has helped lead the Buffalo Bills to five wins. He’s completed an impressive 70.5 of his passes for 1,436 yards and 11 touchdowns while throwing only four interceptions. Despite being sacked 21 times, Taylor has not lost a fumble.
Entering 2015, the fifth-year pro had played in only 14 games in four seasons with the Ravens (not surprising considering Joe Flacco's durability) and attempted only 35 passes.
Now he, head coach Rex Ryan and the rest of the team are attempting to earn a playoff bid for the first time since 1999.
Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers (Stock Up)
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Hey, it’s a free country. So Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton can dance if he wants to as he and his team continue to leave opponents behind.
On Sunday, the 2015 NFL MVP candidate gave five different teammates the opportunity to show off their end-zone moves. Newton threw for 246 yards and connected with wideouts Ted Ginn and Devin Funchess, tight end Greg Olsen and running backs Jonathan Stewart and Mike Tolbert for scores in the team’s 44-16 win over the Washington Redskins.
With his team off to a 10-0 start and now cruising in the NFC South, Newton has thrown for 2,283 yards and 20 touchdowns opposed to nine interceptions. He’s also Carolina’s second-leading rusher with 382 yards and six scores.
While the Panthers may not wow you with overwhelming offensive statistics, they have scored at least 20 points in each of their 10 games this season. Newton has been the catalyst and may just be warming up.
Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears (Stock Up)
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Remember when the Chicago Bears were 0-3 this season, outscored a combined 105-46 in those setbacks and coming off a 26-0 loss at Seattle? Quarterback Jay Cutler had a hand (or arm) in two of those losses, and coming off a dismal 5-11 season in 2014, it looked like the Bears were headed for another long year.
But John Fox and his staff are doing quite the job in the Windy City, and the much-maligned signal-caller looks like a different player from the one that led the NFL with 24 turnovers a year ago.
In Sunday’s home loss to the Denver Broncos, Cutler guided his team downfield to a touchdown in the closing minutes that put the Bears in position to send the game into overtime. But they fell short on the two-point conversion attempt and fell to 4-6 with a 17-15 loss.
This season, the 10-year pro has turned over the ball just nine times in as many games while completing 64.5 percent of his passes—13 of those for scores. He’s engineered his share of fourth-quarter heroics and looks like he has command of Adam Gase’s offense. It’s been quite the transformation for the much-maligned quarterback.
Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals (Stock Up)
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Yes, the 8-0 Cincinnati Bengals have now become the 8-2 Cincinnati Bengals, so that must be Andy Dalton’s fault?
Think again. While he and his teammates were shut out of the end zone last Monday night at home against the Houston Texans, the fifth-year quarterback was pretty impressive in Sunday night’s 34-31 loss at Arizona. Despite being sacked four times and fumbling twice (losing one), Dalton threw for 315 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.
The difference between last season and 2015 has been almost night and day for the emerging signal-caller. In 10 games this year, Dalton has thrown for 20 scores and been picked off just five times. In 2014, he threw nearly as many interceptions (17) as he did touchdown passes (19). It’s also worth mentioning that 11 of those 20 touchdowns this season have gone to third-year tight end Tyler Eifert, who missed nearly all of the 2014 campaign after dislocating his right arm in the season opener.
Given his playoff history, Dalton still has his critics. But he’s had an impressive season to date, and we’ll have to wait a little longer to see what it all adds up to.
Johnny Manziel, Cleveland Browns (Stock Up)
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Veteran Josh McCown has started seven of the Cleveland Browns' 10 games this season, meaning the team has enlisted the services of second-year pro Johnny Manziel for only three starts in 2015.
But that will certainly change, barring injury, as head coach Mike Pettine has given him the proverbial keys to the car for the rest of the season.
And that’s why Manziel as well as the organization gets the nod. A franchise that has employed eight different head coaches and 23 different starting quarterbacks since 1999 needs to know what it has. This season, the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner has thrown five touchdown passes and committed five turnovers in six appearances. In Week 10 at Pittsburgh, he threw for 372 yards but was also sacked six times in a 30-9 loss.
Still, his stock is up when it comes to a little on-the-job training.
Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys (Stock Up)
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Apparently, all is right in the world again.
It looks like a simple formula: The Dallas Cowboys are 3-0 when quarterback Tony Romo starts and winless (0-7) when he doesn’t this season. In 2014, he owned a 12-3 record in the regular season, so it’s pretty easy to do the math.
In a 24-14 win at Miami on Sunday, Romo looked a bit rusty at times and did throw a pair of interceptions. But he also connected with wide receivers Terrance Williams and Dez Bryant for touchdowns, totaling 227 yards through the air as his team snapped a seven-game losing streak.
Do the 3-7 Cowboys still have a chance in the NFC East as they look to catch the 5-5 New York Giants? Their odds have certainly increased with the return of their regular field general.
Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos (Stock Down)
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For the first time in his NFL career, one that dates back to the start of the 1998 season, Peyton Manning has seen another quarterback start a game in a year in which he’s been active.
Granted, the five-time NFL MVP is hurting these days, as the injuries are starting to accumulate for the league’s all-time leader in career passing yards and touchdown passes.
Manning has thrown for nine scores but leads the league with 17 interceptions—something arguably unimaginable for the storied performer. Age and injuries will do that to the best of players, however.
These days, Manning is not one of the NFL's best players. We’ll see if some time off to heal will make a difference.
Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions (Stock Down)
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Yes, the Detroit Lions have rebounded from that forgettable 45-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs with wins over the Green Bay Packers (at Lambeau Field) and home on Sunday against the Oakland Raiders.
But that doesn’t mean quarterback Matthew Stafford and the team’s offense is playing good football. For the second straight week, the Lions scored exactly 18 points. Stafford threw for 282 yards in the team’s 18-13 win but was also sacked four times.
Be it the lack of a running game or his receivers' inconsistency, Stafford just hasn’t looked like himself in 2015. He’s thrown 15 touchdown passes and a dozen interceptions in 10 games, which are pedestrian numbers to say the least. Of course, being sacked 26 times doesn't help a quarterback's cause.
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers (Stock Up)
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Only a player as talented as quarterback Aaron Rodgers could be under fire for throwing 23 touchdown passes and just three interceptions in 10 games.
Dating back to the start of 2011, the two-time NFL MVP has thrown 162 touchdown passes compared to only 28 interceptions in his last 66 regular-season games.
That's a definite stock up.
Yes, in Sunday’s 30-13 win at Minnesota, Rodgers completed just 16 of his 34 throws for 212 yards. The usually accurate Rodgers also hit on less than 60 percent of his passes the previous week, in an 18-16 home loss to the Detroit Lions, as well as during a 37-29 setback at Carolina in Week 9.
Call it a mini-slump for the prolific signal-caller. But don’t be surprised if Rodgers turns things around and finishes the season on a hot streak.
Brian Hoyer, Houston Texans (Stock Up)
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Very quietly, Houston Texans quarterback Brian Hoyer has put together a respectable season, despite the many issues surrounding the team earlier in the year.
On Sunday, backup T.J. Yates delivered in a big way, throwing for 229 yards and two scores without an interception in the team’s 24-17 win over the New York Jets.
But let’s not forget what Hoyer has done this season, despite a benching or two. The well-traveled veteran has thrown 13 touchdown passes while being picked off only four times.
Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts (Stock Down)
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The latest news, via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, has Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck out of action until mid-December.
With any luck, he will come back a more efficient player. Yes, veteran Matt Hasselbeck rallied the team to a 24-21 win at Atlanta on Sunday and is 3-0 as a starter this season. The Colts are 5-5 and tied with the Houston Texans for first place in the AFC South.
This season, Luck has disappointed, to say the least. He’s completed only 55.3 percent of his passes, throwing 15 touchdown passes while committing 13 turnovers. Simply put, the four-year pro tries to do too much, and while he’s always been able to shake off those mistakes in the past, it’s getting harder to do that these days.
Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars (Stock Up)
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Remember the original plan when it came to quarterback Blake Bortles when the team drafted him with the third overall pick in 2014? He was supposed to sit out his rookie year and learn.
That experiment lasted all of 10 quarters, as Jacksonville coach Gus Bradley benched incumbent starter Chad Henne after the team fell behind 30-0 to Indianapolis in Week 3 of the 2014 season. In Henne's stead, the rookie Bortles threw 11 touchdown passes—compared to 17 interceptions—and the club was on the way to a 3-13 campaign.
These days, the Jaguars are riding a rare two-game winning streak, and Bortles has made strides. In 10 games, he’s thrown for 20 scores while being picked off only 12 times.
Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs (Stock Up)
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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith has thrown only 10 touchdown passes in as many games this season. He’s also been sacked 33 times this year.
But Smith has been picked off just three times in 2015 and hasn’t thrown an interception in seven consecutive contests. The Chiefs are currently riding a four-game winning streak following a disappointing 1-5 start.
The original “game manager” has even connected with his wide receivers for a few scores this season after not throwing a single touchdown to a wideout in 2014.
Many like to talk about what Smith hasn’t done. Perhaps we should focus a little more on what he has done.
Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins (Stock Down)
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Ryan Tannehill was a Miami Dolphins first-round pick in 2012 and has made steady progress every year in the league…perhaps until now.
This season, the team owns a 4-6 record, and Tannehill has thrown 17 touchdown passes compared to 10 interceptions. The four-year pro has been picked off two or more times in four of his 10 outings.
One year ago, the former Texas A&M standout threw for 27 scores, while he was picked off only 12 times.
Of course, Tannehill has also been sacked 30 times this season as the Miami offensive line continues its struggles of recent seasons.
Teddy Bridgewater, Minnesota Vikings (Stock Up)
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Game manager? Teddy Bridgewater?
Don’t say that to Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer, who is a little turned off by that observation.
“I guess maybe one of the best statistics is that he doesn’t hurt his team ever,” Zimmer said to Michael Rand of the Star Tribune last Wednesday. “Very rarely does he hurt his team. Most of the time, he’s helping his team in a lot of ways that don’t show up in number of yards. We always said we wanted to be a team that runs the football well, plays good defense, plays good special teams; we kind of do that a little bit.”
Unfortunately for the Vikings, Bridgewater couldn’t manage to elude the Green Bay Packers' pass rush on Sunday, as he was sacked six times in the 30-13 loss. He threw for 296 yards and a score without an interception and also ran for 43 yards on four carries.
Bridgewater’s numbers this season in no way compare to the enormous impact he has on the team’s offense, and the second-year pro continues to emerge as a leader for Minnesota, too.
Tom Brady, New England Patriots (Stock Up)
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This is what we call a layup.
There are those who feel New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is playing the best football of his 16-year NFL career. And considering the four-time Super Bowl champion's accomplishments, that’s saying a lot.
Brady enters Monday night’s tilt with the Buffalo Bills as the league’s top-rated passer. He’s thrown 24 touchdown passes compared to only three interceptions.
If you include the Patriots' 2014 playoff run, Brady has his team at 22-2 in their last 24 games, and the veteran quarterback has thrown 63 touchdown passes while being picked off only 14 times in those contests.
Given his storied history against the Bills, those numbers could look even more impressive come Tuesday morning.
Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints (Stock Down)
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Let’s not blame the New Orleans Saints’ 4-6 record this season on their veteran signal-caller.
It’s safe to say that the club’s defense has been the major issue, so much so that the Saints recently replaced coordinator Rob Ryan with Dennis Allen.
That’s not to excuse veteran quarterback Drew Brees, who, in his 15th season, has shown he can still throw the ball with the best of them. However, his play has been erratic for more than a year despite the huge number of yards he's piled up.
Through nine games this season, Brees has thrown 20 touchdown passes compared to nine interceptions and has lost a pair of fumbles. For what it's worth, in the team’s last 26 contests dating back to 2014, Brees has accounted for 31 of the Saints' 47 turnovers.
Eli Manning, New York Giants (Stock Up)
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It wasn’t long ago (2013) that New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning was leading the league with 27 interceptions and committing 29 of his team’s 44 turnovers.
These days, he’s helped guide his erratic team into first place in the NFC East, courtesy of 21 touchdown passes and only six interceptions.
It may surprise some people to know that since the start of 2014, Manning has been exceptional, throwing 51 touchdown passes and only 20 interceptions in 26 contests. Now if he and head coach Tom Coughlin could only get a little support from the running game…and the defense.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, New York Jets (Stock Up)
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Regardless of who the New York Jets add to their roster, the quarterback position in recent seasons has been somewhat of a disaster.
Be it Mark Sanchez or Geno Smith, hanging onto the football has been a recurring issue. This season, veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick has done his best to resolve that problem, and for the most part he has been successful.
On Sunday at Houston, he threw for one score and ran for another while being roughly a week removed from thumb surgery on his non-throwing hand. Yes, he was picked off late twice in the 24-17 loss, but the Jets’ recent slump can be attributed as much to the suddenly struggling defense as it can to the offense.
For the season, Fitzpatrick has thrown 16 touchdown passes compared to 11 interceptions, four of which have come in the last two games. But he’s also rushed for two scores and given the Jets better play at the position than they've had in a few years.
Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders (Stock Up)
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The Oakland Raiders haven’t enjoyed a winning season since their Super Bowl appearance in 2002.
Perhaps that’s getting ready to change sometime soon.
Aided greatly by the wide receiving tandem of Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper, quarterback Derek Carr looks like an emerging star in his second NFL season. While his team is in the midst of a three-game losing streak, Carr has had a stellar year. He’s completed 63.3 percent of his passes and thrown more than three times as many touchdowns (21) as interceptions (six).
Sam Bradford, Philadelphia Eagles (Stock Down)
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You figure it out.
On Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, quarterback Mark Sanchez led the Eagles in his first start of the year after incumbent starter Sam Bradford was knocked out of the team's Week 10 game against the Miami Dolphins with a concussion and a sprained AC joint in his left (non-throwing) shoulder. Philadelphia lost that game, 20-19, after Sanchez threw a backbreaking fourth-quarter red-zone interception.
This week, the visiting Bucs humbled Chip Kelly’s club, 45-17, and Sanchez had his issues, throwing for 261 yards and two touchdowns while being picked off three times. Tampa Bay linebacker Lavonte David returned one of those interceptions 20 yards for a score.
But we’re here to talk about starter Sam Bradford, whose status remains up in the air for Philadelphia's Thanksgiving Day road tilt at Detroit. (Bradford was limited in practice Monday, per the team's Twitter account.) The bothersome issue here is that in his time with the Rams, Bradford was known for his unavailability and ineffectiveness. In his first season with the Birds, he’s been a bit underwhelming, throwing 11 touchdown passes and committing 11 turnovers.
Last season, Kelly had quarterbacks Nick Foles and Sanchez. The former threw for 13 scores and coughed up the ball 13 times. Sanchez totaled 14 touchdown passes and an equal number of turnovers.
That’s the kind of consistency that’s bothersome, to say the least.
Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers (Stock Up)
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Talk about a backup quarterback coming through for his team?
In all seriousness, when last we saw the Pittsburgh Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger was coming off the bench to throw for 379 yards and three touchdowns (along with one interception) in a 30-9 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 10.
While Big Ben has only played in six games this season and thrown just 10 touchdown passes—compared to seven interceptions—he has emerged as one of the NFL's most effective quarterbacks and appears to be getting better with age. His rapport with wide receiver Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant has been amazing, and the Pittsburgh passing attack looks virtually unstoppable at times.
Nick Foles, St. Louis Rams (Stock Down)
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In the one-and-a-half seasons since Nick Foles finished the 2013 campaign with 27 touchdown passes and only two interceptions, he hasn't looked anything like a Pro Bowler. In fact, St. Louis Rams head coach Jeff Fisher elected to bench Foles prior to his team's Week 11 contest against the Baltimore Ravens.
In nine starts this year, the former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback has committed eight turnovers while throwing only seven touchdown passes. He's averaging a career-low 186.4 passing yards per game this season, the third-lowest mark among qualified starters.
Will Foles get his job back this season? It’s hard to tell at this juncture, although Keenum's status for Week 12 is hazy after he suffered a concussion late in the 16-13 loss to Baltimore.
Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers (Stock Down)
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You could make the case that the San Diego Chargers are playing the league's worst football these days. Six straight losses will do that, especially when the latest setback was a 33-3 home blowout at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Yes, quarterback Philip Rivers is completing 68.8 percent of his throws—the second-highest mark of his career—and has tossed 19 scores compared to only eight interceptions. However, the 12-year pro has also lost a pair of fumbles and has been sacked 24 times this season.
Remember when Rivers was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2013 and led the Bolts to the playoffs? In 26 games since, the five-time Pro Bowler has coughed up the ball a disappointing 30 times.
Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers (Stock Down)
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Perhaps we should label Colin Kaepernick down and out.
It’s been a rough year-and-a-half for the San Francisco 49ers signal-caller, now out for the season with a torn labrum in his left (non-throwing) shoulder. In eight games this season, he completed just 59 percent of his passes, threw six touchdown passes, turned over the ball six times and was sacked a disturbing 28 times.
Prior to Kaepernick being placed on season-ending injured reserve, head coach Jim Tomsula promoted Blaine Gabbert into his team's starting lineup. Perhaps by season’s end, we’ll be giving our thoughts on Gabbert's stock rather than Kaepernick's.
Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks (Stock Down)
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There’s something just not quite right about the Seattle Seahawks this season.
The defense appears to miss coordinator Dan Quinn. The offensive line misses center Max Unger and guard James Carpenter.
And quarterback Russell Wilson has been a little hit or miss.
While he has been sacked 35 times in 10 games, putting him on pace to shatter his career high, he’s also committed more turnovers this season (nine) than he did all of last season. A total of 13 touchdown passes and zero scores on the ground (despite rushing for 385 yards) is very un-Wilson-like.
The same can be said about Seattle’s 5-5 record these days.
Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Stock Up)
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Remember when the Tennessee Titans humbled quarterback Jameis Winston and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1, 42-14?
Remember when Winston threw four interceptions in a Week 4 home loss to the Carolina Panthers?
Things have turned around for the 2015 first overall pick, who has thrown nine touchdown passes and two interceptions while running for three scores in his last six outings. He obliterated the Philadelphia Eagles' floundering defense in Week 11, tossing a career-high five scores in Tampa Bay's 45-17 win.
Suddenly, Lovie Smith’s club is 5-5 and right back in the thick of the playoff race.
Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans (Stock Up)
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As you would expect, it’s been an up-and-down year for a rookie quarterback joining a team that won just two games in 2014.
Barring a remarkable season-ending run, the Tennessee Titans are headed toward another losing campaign. But the positives have outweighed the negatives when it comes to the team’s young signal-caller.
Though Marcus Mariota did miss a few games this season due to an MCL sprain in his left knee, he has thrown 13 touchdown passes compared to only six interceptions when healthy enough to play. However, he's also fumbled seven times and lost the ball on four occasions.
The 2014 Heisman winner looks like the real deal and has adapted to the pro game faster than expected. If he continues to develop at the rate he has during his rookie season, Tennessee should be right back in the AFC South mix within a year or two.
Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins (Stock Down)
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If you are going to be an effective player in this league or in any sport, consistency is the key.
In his first season as the Washington Redskins' starting quarterback, quarterback Kirk Cousins has been anything but.
In Washington's four wins this season, the fourth-year signal-caller has thrown nine touchdown passes without being picked off and has lost one fumble. In the team's six losses, he’s connected for six scores and coughed up the ball 12 times, including 10 interceptions. This despite an adequate running game and an offensive front that has allowed only 17 sacks this season.
In Sunday's 44-16 loss at Carolina, Cousins was sacked five times and committed a total of three turnovers (one interception, two lost fumbles) in the setback. Mike Jones of The Washington Post had these observations:
"The interception was Kirk Cousins’s fault. He didn’t get himself set and overthrew a wide-open DeSean Jackson...Morgan Moses just got beaten plain and simple on the sack-fumble he surrendered to Kony Ealy. Cousins’s other fumble was the result of a cornerback blitz, where no one was in the backfield to account for that defender. Cousins never saw Bene Benwikere coming. Cousins’s feel in the pocket didn’t seem to be as sharp on Sunday as it had been, and he didn’t get the ball out as quickly.
"
Perhaps with a little more playing time, the Redskins may know if they have found their long-term quarterback.
Unless otherwise noted, all player and team statistics come from Pro-Football-Reference.com and ESPN.com.
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