RICHMOND, Virginia -- As Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins passed a group of reporters en route to the locker room, he delivered a message.

“Wasn’t my best day!” he said. “Write that down.”

Well, OK then. But Cousins was right: It wasn’t his best day. It certainly wasn’t his worst, either. But there was a forced pass under duress in the red zone that resulted in a tipped pass and diving interception by corner Josh Norman. It was the second interception Cousins threw in the red zone this week, with Kendall Fuller picking off another ball a few days earlier.

Cousins also has thrown his share of scores in this area, so it’s not as if it’s been one-sided. The defense, too, has done a nice job applying pressure on him -- the pass to Fuller was under duress as well.

Cousins hasn’t had tight end Jordan Reed or receiver Jamison Crowder -- his top two targets. However, while you’d expect his success rate to increase with them, they’re not the reason he would force a ball, either. One is about a guy getting open; the other is decision-making.

But Cousins went through this last summer, too, when he forced throws during camp. It did not foreshadow issues during the season.

Camp is when you want to make mistakes -- whether you’re a corner using a new technique or a quarterback seeing what you can get away with. If you have a new receiver -- such as Terrelle Pryor -- you must see what you can do with him. Sometimes that means throwing a ball into tight coverage -- will Pryor get it? Thus far, the answer has mostly been yes.

One time Thursday, Pryor tried a double move on corner Bashaud Breeland, who didn’t bite on the fake. He was step for step with Pryor and Cousins threw it anyway (incomplete); you have to see what might happen. If you don’t try that in practice, you won’t know. Another time, Cousins dropped a nice ball over the top of Norman and in front of the safety for a completion to Pryor.

A forced pass in the red zone, though, is one you have to file away as simply a bad idea -- in camp or out. He’s thrown two picks in the red zone the last two years combined; both were forced passes.

Cousins made some good throws Thursday; on one deep-out to receiver Josh Doctson, the ball was en route to him before he even turned on his break. That’s a good sign, not just because the throw was good, but the trust with which it was thrown. That’s a result of working with Doctson. In some ways, that’s why it’s OK to not have Reed or Crowder right now; it forces others to develop timing and rhythm with Cousins.

Cousins definitely looks more comfortable in certain areas, including with who he is and what’s expected when you’re being paid $24 million. When one fan razzed him for not going deep to Pryor on one play in 7-on-7, Cousins looked at him and smiled. Next play: deep to Pryor. Then, Cousins ran over to the fan and they vigorously slapped hands several times. Would Cousins have done this, say, two years ago? Doubt it. Back then, he still needed to prove himself. Now, he has two years on his resume, giving him confidence in who he is and what he can do.

It’s hard to imagine him two years ago pointing out that he had a bad day -- at least not so loudly. He would have known it; he doesn’t try to fool himself about his game. There’s little doubt he studied what he did during the day -- hard -- and was reminded by coach Jay Gruden of his mistakes.

The Redskins like how Cousins continues to evolve and work on his game. A lot of it comes in areas fans just won’t see, such as his ability to change plays late in the play clock, giving them more time to react to defensive changes; how he handles the cadence with much more depth; and protection calls.

But Cousins was reminded again Thursday that he’s not perfect and must handle certain situations better. So he delivered a message, one that was really intended for one person: himself.