Need to re-watch the game, but I am curious why quarterback Kirk Cousins' play dropped off in the second half against extra rushers in particular. The Eagles sent at least five rushers on 48 percent of his drop-backs in the second half, according to ESPN Stats & Information, and Cousins completed three-of-11 passes in those situations compared to nine of 11 in the first half. A blueprint for other teams? We’ll see.

His interception came against an extra rusher -- Cousins made a bad decision to try and hit tight end Niles Paul. He wasn’t open and the pass was overthrown -- perhaps if it’s Jordan Reed I would consider making that pass. He’s bigger and more athletic and can make circus catches. But Paul was clearly not expecting the ball.

But considering the Redskins did not have great success running the ball, and didn’t have Reed, and had a less-than-healthy DeSean Jackson ... to produce 511 yards is quite impressive.

Still, I’ll be curious to see how defenses adjust to Cousins. The key for any quarterback is evolving your game so when a defense adjusts you can still flourish. There is a long way to go before the final verdict is in on Cousins, good or bad. Last season he started well against Atlanta and the next two games did not go as well. Sunday, Cousins played well (coming off a good outing vs. Jacksonville). Now do it again Thursday. But he does a lot of things well, which is why the next five or six weeks are intriguing.

The knock on Cousins has been that he forces too many throws. It gets him in trouble in most games and it causes him to take chances he probably shouldn’t, like the one to Paul. It’s not about arm strength, it’s about a mindset -- can you change it? But, conversely, he sees the field well for the most part, and that leads to positive plays, too. Also avoids negative plays with quick decisions. Which aspect ultimately wins out?

When you lead a team to 34 points and throw for 427 yards, sort of tough to knock the quarterback.

Here is what I also know: if Robert Griffin III had posted the numbers Cousins did Sunday, the entire town would be going crazy -- even after a loss. The narrative would be: He’s back. Cousins is not perfect and the ceiling is not as high as Griffin’s. There is a reason, despite all the talk or rumors we have heard over the past year, that Griffin remained the guy in charge when healthy. With his arm and his athleticism, he really could do wonders at the position if his game develops. And there is no way of knowing how he would have fared the past two games (great start in Jacksonville; thought he would have a huge game). No one knows.

But I do know in a little more than seven quarters this season Cousins has completed 64.2 percent of his passes, thrown five touchdowns to one interception, been sacked only twice in 81 attempts and has posted a 105.8 passer rating. What would you say if Griffin had done the same? At worst, the Redskins have a backup capable of producing. At best they have two young quarterbacks worth developing.

By the time Griffin returns, we’ll have a much better idea of who Cousins is as a quarterback. But at that point it will be up to Griffin to either match or surpass what he did. If you don't want a quarterback controversy, it's up to the incumbent to distance himself.

The offense did not have any real good drives in the second half. Rather, they had big plays: 81 yards to Jackson ... 43 yards to Pierre Garcon ... 55 yards on a screen to Roy Helu. It showed the quick-strike ability they have; but minus the big plays in the final two quarters the Redskins’ offense stalled. Tough way to survive in the long haul, though it shows how quickly they can turn a game around.