The Dallas Cowboys started this season poorly, and they are playing “must-win” games in the upcoming weeks. In the NFL, every duel is important, and you can never know what to expect. After 3-3 score so far in the season, the Cowboys are facing the Washington Redskins, and they need to do the following things to defeat them.
Kirk Cousins
The Washington Redskins depend on Kirk Cousins a lot, and he is a solid but inconsistent quarterback. Many people keep discussing whether Cousins is a high-quality guy to have at the most important position in the team, or he is not that great. Statistically, only a few quarterbacks may be better than Cousins. However, he has a hard time fitting the system he’s working in or cooperating well with the people around him.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Kirk Cousins is really good at throwing so-called curl passes, which are nothing but short-distance throws either to the receivers or a tight end. These kinds of passes require good timing rather than a strong arm, but Cousins can also throw “digs” which are slightly deeper than curls.
However, Cousins is not very accurate when he has to shoot deep passes, and he has a below-average arm. Not that he is unable to throw deep passes at all – he just relies on broken coverage more frequently to succeed. Last but not least, he cannot handle pressure well, he avoids progressions and usually chooses his target before the snap, no matter who gets open.
Dallas Cowboys’ Way of Fighting Cousins
Dallas needs to cover receivers well, whereas Jordan Reed cannot catch passes in the middle. Rod Marinelli should put more pressure on the quarterback than usual, and he should start with that early in the game. When under a lot of stress, we might see Cousins throwing some interceptions as well. If Kirk wants to defeat the Cowboys, let him do it by breaking coverage on the outside and not with the help of Jordan Reed.
It is important to be aggressive early in the match, and if several early stunts or blitzes can disturb Cousins, he is going to be insecure for the rest of the game. He will be uncomfortable, but after that, Dallas needs to dial it back and just play carefully without making mistakes.
