Washington Redskins Week 13 Stock Report

Stock is up almost across the board for the Washington Redskins after they assumed control of the NFC East headed into Week 13.

The 20-14 win over division rival the New York Giants owed everything to stellar performances from players such as running back Alfred Morris and outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan. They have both been quiet for long patches of the 2015 season but revived their form when it mattered most.

The aftermath of beating the Giants has seen a sudden wave of goodwill toward quarterback Kirk Cousins. National writers are finally warming to the idea that No. 8 is the best fit under center for these Redskins.

Read on for a full accounting of Washington's stock report ahead of the Monday night showdown with bitter foe the Dallas Cowboys.

Stock Up: Ryan Kerrigan

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Washington felt the collar of Big Blue quarterback Eli Manning 11 times, swarming in for a trio of sacks and laying eight more hits on 2004's first overall pick, per ESPN.com.

Kerrigan accounted for five takedowns of Manning, including a pair of sacks. It was the first time this season Washington's leading sack artist in 2014 has really brought the heat.

Having Kerrigan back on form is a major boost for coordinator Joe Barry's defense. At his best, No. 91 is the premier edge-rusher whom opposing teams must account for in their blocking schemes.

Living up to that billing demands staying healthy, something Kerrigan is finally managing to do, according to Rich Tandler of Real Redskins:

"

The fifth-year linebacker said yesterday that he felt better than he has all season, a tacit admission that he wasn’t 100-percent up until recently. Kerrigan was hampered by a knee that required an offseason procedure and then by a broken hand. His 6.5 sacks have him in the top 20 in the NFL, tied for 17th.

"

Kerrigan needs to be just as effective against the Cowboys. Lined up away from marquee left tackle Tyron Smith puts the onus on the former Purdue man to lead Washington's efforts to pressure the pass pocket.

Stock Down: DeAngelo Hall

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

Washington's secondary earned a game ball for the way it frustrated Manning and his receivers. But roving cover man DeAngelo Hall was the one member of the group who scored low marks.

The veteran ball hawk moved from cornerback to safety. It was an experiment that yielded mixed success. Hall was guilty of drawing a pair of costly personal foul flags in the second half when his weakness tackling in open space was exposed.

It's an issue the 32-year-old must resolve soon, especially since he's been officially moved to safety on the depth chart, according to CSN Mid-Atlantic's Tarik El-Bashir.

This is a smart switch on the surface. Hall can act as a roving, opportunistic last line of defense. His nose for the ball and exceptional instincts mean he can spy quarterbacks, read routes and jump on throws from deep.

Putting Hall at safety also helps compensate for his diminishing physical skill set, something Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram noted: "Father Time seems to have caught Hall, once a 4.35 speedster."

But to make the switch work, Hall has to prove he can be trusted to tackle when needed.

Stock Up: Alfred Morris

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Washington's ol' dependable in the backfield finally proved exactly that. Morris wore down the Giants with 78 yards on 23 bruising carries.

What set this performance apart from any other by Morris this season was the way he powered through would-be tacklers. More than once, he pushed the pile and dragged a defender for extra yards.

Not only was No. 46 back to his punishing best, but he also made quicker decisions in the backfield. Specifically, he wasted little time identifying and attacking cutback lanes behind zone blocking.

This was the Morris of old. He was the reliable and relentless workhorse Cousins and this offense need for the rest of the season.

Consistent gains from 2012's sixth-round pick give the Redskins the balance they need to create strikes off play action and open up throwing lanes behind the linebacker level.

Stock Down: Matt Jones

Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Matt Jones chipped in with a 45-yard gain off a screen pass that showcased his electric speed. But when it came to lugging the rock in the running game, the rookie continued to struggle.

One week removed from laying a goose egg on five carries against the Carolina Panthers, Jones managed just 19 yards from eight attempts. That's just 2.4 yards per carry. It's hardly an endorsement of his ability to unseat Morris as the starter sooner rather than later.

Things haven't just plateaued for the ex-Florida man. His once-promising debut season is now starting to nosedive.

Part of Jones' problem has been ball security, specifically the four fumbles he's lost. But this year's third-round pick has also been guilty of wasting his core talents.

Jones is naturally a direct runner. This applies whether he's turning the corner with tremendous speed off tackle or whether he's accelerating through an interior gap, before lowering his head to power through an unfortunate front-seven defender.

Jones must focus on squaring his shoulders as quickly as possible to be most effective.

He has more natural dynamism than Morris. Yet, he won't prove it until he uses some laser focus to refine his running style. 

Stock Up: Kirk Cousins

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Cousins has been making steady progress every week during his first season as a full-time starter in the NFL. That progress is now tangible, and the numbers prove it.

CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora detailed how well No. 8 has played recently:

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Over the past five weeks, Cousins has been sensational. In that span he has completed 117 of 164 passes (71 percent) for 1,467 yards -- averaging 293 yards per game and a gaudy 8.95 yards per attempt --with 10 touchdowns and just two interceptions. That’s a rating of 114, folks. On the season, he is approaching 3,000 yards with 16 touchdowns, 10 picks, and a solid rating of 91.7.

"

To add a little perspective to those numbers, CSN Mid-Atlantic's Rich Goldberg put Cousins' performances into an historical context: "Kirk Cousins threw for over 300 pass yards, becoming the first Redskins quarterback since at least 1960 to pass for at least 300-plus pass yards in three consecutive home games."

For his critics, now is the time to break out a laundry list of reasons why Cousins is merely playing well because of the efforts of others. He's being propped by the O-line, running game and defense.

But this doesn't do justice to a quarterback who is working hard to iron out his deficiencies. As MMQB's Robert Klemko noted, "Cousins still can’t sleep on Sunday nights unless he reviews that day’s game on his tablet or drives into the office to watch it on the big screen, in an empty room with the lights off."

If No. 8 is going to get all the blame when the Redskins lose, he deserves at least some of the credit when they win. Earning that credit more often will require greater consistency from 2012's fourth-round pick.

The consistency will come from a change in temperament. Cousins' temperament has been addressed by more than one teammate recently. Their comments are revealing about the ex-Michigan State passer.

Klemko's excellent piece also contained this quote from defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois: "He’s a natural leader, and he’s what a QB is supposed to be, but he beats himself up too much."

This speaks to Cousins' underlying weakness. There's a certain mental fragility to a player who has all the technical skills and chalkboard know-how to be an above-average NFL starter. Yet, his struggles rebounding from mistakes still often undermine those talents.

It's a timidity his teammates have obviously noted. Safety Dashon Goldson revealed how he called out his quarterback, demanding he be more assertive, according to ESPN.com's John Keim: "As a quarterback, he’s got to be a leader, a little more vocal and take charge in what’s going on on the offensive side and as a team. Period.”

Lately, Cousins has been answering that call more often than not. Now he has to prove his growing confidence won't wilt under the prime-time spotlight in Week 13.

All statistics and player information via NFL.com, unless otherwise stated.

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