Redskins vs. Browns: Kirk Cousins leads Washington to top of NFC East

After the game Griffin said:

Griffin also said he was told by the team that they were “protecting me from myself” while head coach Mike Shanahan said that team doctors did not feel Griffin’s knee was ready for a game. Griffin was pleased with the victory calling it “huge” and admitted he “got healthier by not playing.”

That said, Weeden has regressed in recent weeks, making poor decisions, having lots of balls batted down at the line of scrimmage (he leads the league with 21 tipped passes) and missing receivers. Oh, and he’s already 29 years old, which doesn’t help when the microscope is already on a team that hasn’t had a successful quarterback since returning in 1999.

Sunday has been another day of regression, encapsulated by one play in the third quarter. Weeden ran toward the sideline on 4th and 3. And he threw it out of bounds. An interception would have been like a punt. An incompletion would have been the exact same. Trying to run for the first would have been a noble effort. But Weeden threw it out of bounds, the T.S. Eliot Wasteland of 4th-down decisions.

Washington has won four straight games and Cleveland has won three straight heading into Sunday’s game.

Fresh off an exciting overtime win against Baltimore, the Washington Redskins will try to earn their fifth consecutive victory on Sunday on the road against the Cleveland Browns.

Sunday, Dec. 16, 1 p.m. ET

At a team meeting on Saturday night, the Redskins made it official and told the players that Kirk Cousins would get the start. While RG3’s knee injury improved throughout the week and he was able to practice in limited fashion, it was Cousins who reportedly took all the first team reps. Cousins has appeared in two games this season, but thrown only 11 passes in extremely limited action. On Sunday, with the Redskins trying to pull even in the NFC East with the Giants, he’ll get his first career start in the NFL.

It’s obviously hard to know what Cousins will bring to the Redskins offense, but they do lose plenty of explosiveness out of the backfield with RGIII not starting. Cousins, in both college and throughout the draft process, was repeatedly hailed by pundits for his leadership abilities and cerebral approach to football. We’ll see what those kinds of qualities produce in his first career start against a defense that’s been getting consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and also forcing turnovers at a high rate.

Cousins, a fellow rookie, came in for Griffin last week against Baltimore, and looked good while going 2-2 for 26 yards and a touchdown pass. This will be Cousins’ first NFL start.

The Redskins and Browns kick off at 1 p.m. on Sunday from Cleveland Browns Stadium, and the game can be seen on FOX.

Griffin left Washington’s win over Baltimore on Sunday with a knee injury, but was able to participate in practice on Wednesday with some limitations. The team has not ruled Griffin out for Sunday, but if he can’t play, Kirk Cousins will get his first career start.

As a result of all the uncertainty surrounding Griffin, many of the experts at ESPN, CBS and Yahoo! are split when it comes to picking this game. The Redskins were picked by five of nine experts at ESPN, and by only three of the eight experts at CBSSports.com. However, all three pickers at Yahoo! are still putting their weight behind Washington.