Redskins bench Kirk Cousins in favor of TD-throwing Colt McCoy

With Robert Griffin III injured, the Washington Redskins hitched their collective wagon to backup quarterback Kirk Cousins, who was selected in the fourth round of the same 2012 draft in which Griffin was picked. It was thought by many that as a pocket passer with limited mobility and a reasonable sense of the field, Cousins might actually be a better fit for the offense preferred by first-year head coach Jay Gruden.

So far this season, it hasn't quite worked out. Cousins came into Sunday's game against the Titans with 10 touchdown passes against eight interceptions, including four in a horrid performance against the Giants on Sept. 25, and three more picks last Sunday against the Cardinals. Against the Titans, Cousins was similarly unimpressive, completing 10-of-16 passes for just 139 yards, no touchdowns, an interception and a fumble.

Early in the third quarter, Gruden decided enough was enough, and replaced Cousins with backup Colt McCoy, who hadn't thrown a regular-season pass in a year. Of course, on the first pass McCoy threw, with 12:27 left in the third quarter, he hit Pierre Garcon on a 70-yard touchdown pass which should be credited mostly to Garcon. That play put the Redskins ahead 13-10.

The Redskins have a problem here, and it's not one McCoy is good enough to address. Cousins' mechanics are inconsistent at best (as detailed in this article), and he's not helped by his porous offensive line and inconsistent receivers. The hope is that Griffin, who's been getting limited reps in practice and recovering from his ankle injury, might be back in time for the team's game against the Cowboys on the Oct. 27 version of Monday Night Football. Gruden has already said that Griffin will be the starter when he's back, which intimates that the coach has seen all he needs to see with Cousins.