Washington Redskins Week 16 Stock Report
Stock is as high as it's been for Washington Redskins starting quarterback Kirk Cousins. He wasn't always a popular choice to dethrone Robert Griffin III, but his recent performances are vindicating head coach Jay Gruden's thinking.
That's not to say Cousins hasn't had help. He bossed the Buffalo Bills in Week 15 with the aid of a steadily improving running game led by Alfred Morris. No. 8 also benefited from the big-play talents of speedy wideout DeSean Jackson.
If stock is down anywhere for the NFC East leaders, it's on the defensive side of the ball. Washington's defense kept the Bills clamped down for most of the game, but some big plays given up late on served as a reminder of the unit's vulnerabilities.
Read on for a full accounting of the Burgundy and Gold's stock ahead of the potentially decisive divisional encounter with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Stock Up: Alfred Morris
1 of 5
Washington put 123 rushing yards alongside Cousins' 319 through the air against the Bills. Those yards translated to 27 runs to complement 28 pass attempts.
Such symmetry was made possible by a very impressive turn from Alfred Morris. This was the closest 2012's sixth-round sensation has looked to his old self all season.
Morris was a step quicker to the line and more sudden and decisive attacking cutback lanes. It didn't always yield big plays, but it did at least produce a steady clip of solid gains, as Stephen Czarda of the team's official site notes: "Morris finished the game with 14 carries for 84 yards (six yards per carry). It was the second time this season the two-time Pro Bowler recorded a yards-per-carry average north of six yards, and the sixth time in his career he’s done so."
Czarda also detailed Morris' game-high and season-long 48-yard scamper before halftime. It's telling that Morris credited his ability to make would-be tacklers miss as the catalyst for the run. He hasn't done much of that this season.
But Morris will need all his shiftiness and power to trample over the Eagles. Philly's defense has a pretty decent track record bottling No. 46 up. They've kept him under four yards per carry in three of their last five meetings.
Blocking defensive tackle Fletcher Cox and giving Morris time to find the cutback lanes will be key.
Stock Down: DeAngelo Hall
2 of 5
DeAngelo Hall found out his transition to safety isn't going to be all plain sailing in Week 15. More than once, the veteran defensive back took a dodgy angle in deep coverage.
It proved most costly on Sammy Watkins' second touchdown grab, a 20-yarder late on in the final quarter. Hall was late getting over the top to give Quinton Dunbar help.
The Bills had baffled Hall by flooding his side of the formation with three vertical routes. Making the right decision against that scheme is exactly the type of challenge the 32-year-old must prove he can meet if he's going to be a successful safety.
Hall's angle was also bad when Watkins hauled in a 48-yard score in the third quarter. He didn't have enough depth in his starting position, something that let Watkins split the double-coverage bracket on the post.
Philly's passing game isn't exactly ideally suited to pushing the ball deep. But Jordan Matthews is an underrated playmaker who could cause damage if Hall isn't more alert.
Stock Up: DeSean Jackson
3 of 5
Six catches for 153 yards and a score. This type of stat line used to be routine for DeSean Jackson. But injuries have meant he's struggled to get going this season.
But based on how he menaced the Bills secondary in Week 15, DJax is getting close to his Pro Bowl-level best. More important, he's forging a very effective rapport with the man under center.
In particular, Cousins is starting to find Jackson deep on a regular basis. Anthony Gulizia of the Washington Times notes how Jackson has snared four touchdowns in five games. He details the long distances covered: "The lengths of those touchdown receptions: 56, 63, 28 and 77 yards."
Now the spotlight is set to rest firmly on how No. 11 will fare against his old team, the franchise that cut him loose in 2014. As Gulizia points out, Jackson certainly made the most of his opportunities for revenge last season: "In two games against the Eagles last year, the wide receiver’s first with the Redskins, he caught nine passes for 243 yards and a touchdown."
With Jackson back to stretching coverage, more lanes will open up for Morris and Co. on the ground, as well as for Cousins' underneath targets.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Stock Down: Pro Bowl Voters Who Didn't Pick Jordan Reed
4 of 5
So Jordan Reed is just an alternate for the Pro Bowl? Right. Hands up anyone who is not comfortable living in this world.
Sure, there's some great tight ends in the NFL. At least two of the four who did make the official Pro Bowl roster detailed on NFL Network (h/t the league's official site) qualify, New England Patriots' ace Rob Gronkowski and Greg Olsen of the Carolina Panthers.
But no spot for Reed is more than dubious. As CSNMid-Atlantic.com's Tarik El-Bashir points out, Reed's numbers certainly put him among the league's stars:
"Reed, on the other hand, has produced Pro Bowl-caliber numbers and probably is the only Redskin who could legitimately complain that he was snubbed. Despite missing a couple of games with a concussion, the 25-year-old ranks second among all tight ends in receptions (74), third in yards after the catch (365) and is tied for third in touchdowns (9).
"
But it isn't just numbers that have defined 2013's third-rounder. Every week another defensive coordinator fails to find an answer for his knack for getting open and making plays after the catch.
It's even more impressive when you consider Reed is usually the focus of most opponents' game plans. Players who still thrive under those circumstances are those who regularly earn Pro Bowl honors.
To state that Reed is a victim of the talent at his position, as ESPN.com's John Keim observed, still can't completely explain this snub. It's not about the other talented players at his position. It's about what Reed has produced this season and how he's done it.
On that basis, he more than merits a first full Pro Bowl berth.
Stock Up: Kirk Cousins
5 of 5
The goodwill toward Cousins is currently so strong that several scribes are even offering apologies to the starting quarterback they once doubted. CBS Sports' Pete Prisco particularly took himself to task for his skepticism about 2012's fourth-round pick:
"I want to apologize to Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins.
...
The Redskins have a one-game lead in the NFC Least, and if they win Saturday night against the Eagles they will clinch the division title. That's pretty damn good and shows just how wrong that idiot who picked them to win two games was back in September.
I am that idiot.
"
Prisco should take it easy on himself. He was far from the only doubter about Cousins' ability to lead a winning team.
It's also worth noting how the current praise is fragile. Things shift very quickly where Cousins is concerned. All it will take is a costly interception against the Eagles, and the told-you-so brigade will shout over the apologists.
What can't be disputed by either side is how much Cousins has improved during the last few weeks. It doesn't mean he's a franchise quarterback—although that phrase has been so overused in recent years it's tough to know exactly what it means anymore.
Cousins still has room to get better, but he's been making strides. Specifically, his mastery of the Gruden playbook has Washington's offense clicking at just the right time.
If you want to sum up Cousins' current surge, think about it like this: He's doing more of what he does well while showing less of what he doesn't. He's spreading the ball between a host of targets while cutting back on the turnovers.
On this form, Cousins can complete the job of earning a winning record and wrapping up a division title.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
