WASHINGTON — It was after the Redskins’ win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in October at FedEx Field that Kirk Cousins, on his way to the locker room at the end of the game, shouted, “You like that!?”
For Cousins and the Redskins, the win over the Bucs and his battle cry are looking more and more like both a defining moment and a turning point. The Redskins had rallied from a 24-0 deficit to earn the victory and stay in the NFC East hunt with a 3-4 record.
After the win over the Buccaneers, the Redskins headed into the bye week full of optimism. The Redskins returned from the break and were humbled in a 27-10 loss to the Patriots. There also were setbacks against the Panthers and Bears, but even in defeat head coach Jay Gruden’s confidence stayed consistent, and so did his belief in his developing quarterback.
Back in August, when Gruden elevated Cousins to the starting position over Robert Griffin III, he made it clear it was not another spin of the quarterback carousel — the job belonged to Cousins. Now, it’s clear that the rest of the team believes it.
The Redskins are now only 7-7, but after the 35-25 victory over the Bills they’ve won consecutive games for the first time this season. It doesn’t matter to the fans that the NFC East, with every team below .500, might be the NFC Least. FedEx Field is rocking, and the Redskins might be about to claim only their third division title since 1999.
There is also a sense that this Redskins team can do more than just win the division — something that did not look possible when we were first asked whether we liked that.
