It's fair to say that Washington Redskins' quarterback Kirk Cousins has been up and down while filling in for an injured Robert Griffin III this season.
Cousins has two games with more interceptions than touchdowns, and the team's offense has consistently stalled in second halves. The pressure is mounting on Cousins to get his first win as a starter this season as Griffin continues to work his way back from a dislocated ankle. But Cousins isn't concerned with the looming return of Griffin.
"It can't affect my preparation," Cousins said. "If it does, I'm not going to be where I need to be. He needs to get ready, he needs to do what he needs to do to be ready to go. However that gets worked out is great for the team. I'll do the best I can with the reps I get and go back to controlling what I can control... and not worrying about what I can't change."
Griffin has increased his workload in practice this week, and participated in individual drills on Wednesday. While the added activity is an encouraging sign, it still appears as if Griffin is a few weeks away from being able to return.
"He looked spry enough and his throws had some zip," ESPN's John Keim wrote. "But he was inconsistent with his placement. The Redskins want to see him work for a couple of weeks in practice before they would put him back in the lineup."
Cousins is 1-7 as a starter for his career. He has more turnovers than touchdowns in his three seasons, and has struggled with mistakes at critical points in games this season.
"I've been in tough spots before," said Cousins, who lost three of his first four games at Michigan State. "It hasn't always been roses, it hasn't always been great. If you play this long enough, sure on the outside it looks like you have had a lot of success to get here, but there have been plenty of valleys and difficult times to push through to get to this point. This is by no means the first time I've faced this, and as a result you are experienced. It's just a matter of continuing to move forward, continuing to be tough on yourself so you can get better and try to prevent future mistakes."
Washington (1-5) hosts the Tennessee Titans (2-4) this Sunday. Cousins will be hoping to take advantage of the Titans 20th ranked defense to make a positive impression on coaches.
As of now, many NFL observers believe Cousins has blown his chance as Washington's quarterback of the future.
However, a handful of strong performances from Cousins, and any struggles from Griffin when he returns, could re-open the discussion.
