Kirk Cousins Passes Jay Schroeder, Sets Redskins' Single-Season Passing Record

Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins set a single-season franchise record for passing yards in Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Jay Schroeder previously held the record with 4,109 yards during the 1986 season. 

Cousins entered the game with 3,990 yards, which meant the probability of him breaking the record was largely dependent on his playing time. Washington had already locked up the NFC East and the No. 4 seed heading into this weekend, making the game essentially meaningless. With left tackle Trent Williams sitting out with an injury, it would have stood to reason that Cousins played as minimally as possible.

It turned out he didn't even need one full half to get the job done. Washington scored touchdowns on three of its first four drives, all coming via Cousins passes. Jamison Crowder, Pierre Garcon and Ryan Grant each hauled in a score as Washington raced out to a 24-0 lead before Dallas got on the scoreboard.

A controversial choice to start in the preseason, Cousins has proved Jay Gruden correct every step of the way. He's set single-season records for completions and 300-yard games while erasing the propensity for interceptions that plagued the early part of his career.

“The proof’s in the pudding now,” center Kory Lichtensteiger told Mike Jones of the Washington Post. “We’re playoff dancing because of him. [At the time of the decision], it was good to see that there’s repercussions and rewards; repercussions for not playing well and rewards for doing the right thing: preparing, performing in practice and the preseason. It was just good to know that you get rewarded for hard work and performing.”

Darren Rovell of ESPN noted some interesting timing on Cousins' turnaround:

Cousins' dream season helped lead Washington to its first division championship since 2012. At the time, the club thought it had found a franchise quarterback in Robert Griffin III. A sea of injuries and three lost seasons later, Griffin's almost certainly headed out the door while the man who replaced him encroaches on Pro Bowl status.

For those who were bearish on Cousins coming into the season, it's been a 16-game spectacle of crow-eating. As for Washington, it'll hope the whole franchise quarterback thing works out a little better this time around.

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