The Washington Redskins took many people by surprise in Week 10 as Kirk Cousins put forth a career game to beat the New Orleans Saints. The quarterback put up monster numbers as he finally looked the role of the starting quarterback. He did a solid job of spreading the ball around in his big day. However, one player not a product of that was DeSean Jackson who suffered injuries early on and never truly got involved.
According to ESPN's John Keim, Jackson suffered injuries to the head and neck early in the game. The wide receiver did return to the field, but only 44 yards off two catches from five targets. Instead, Cousins tossed for 324 yards and four touchdowns to primarily Matt Jones, Jamison Crowder and Jordan Reed. The game plan worked as the quarterback only recorded five incompletions for the whole game. However, now many are wondering what is wrong with Jackson. Just a few days prior, head coach Jay Gruden predicted big things for the wide receiver, but now injuries are an issue again.
"[Jackson is] definitely getting his groove back," left tackle Trent Williams said, via CBS.com. "He's coming off that hamstring injury where you sit out that long nobody expects you to come back 100 percent. He's becoming that deep threat that we need. This offense, when you have a guy like that, it opens it up for everybody."
Alfred Morris also suffered a rib injury that left him limited on the day. That was no matter for the Redskins who let rookie Jones have a breakout game putting up 56 yards rushing and 131 yards receiving. The Redskins utilized him in the passing game and it payed off big time. Morris still did his part with 92 yards on the ground. It was the most productive rushing attack the Redskins have had all season as they made their way through a weak Saints' defensive unit.
The real star of the show was Cousins. The quarterback has faced plenty of doubt this year, but on Sunday he cemented himself as the starter for both the short-term and potentially the long-term. Cousins is playing on an expiring contract. According to the Washington Post, the Redskins intend to bring the quarterback back, but doing so could be tough. With Robert Griffin III seemingly not going anywhere, the Redskins could be forced to franchise tag the quarterback until they can afford a long-term deal. Given the way Cousins played in Week 10, that might be the best option.
"I'm getting better as a quarterback," said Cousins, via ESPN.com. "When you're in the zone and things are going really well, you're just playing and your mind is free and you're not allowing things to inhibit your play."