It’s widely believed that the primary reason for the Washington Redskins’ conservative approach to offense early in the season was a desire to protect first-year starting quarterback Kirk Cousins, who’d shown a tendency in spot duty last season to throw interceptions in must-have, high pressure situations.
In the aftermath of Washington’s playoff-clinching victory over Philadelphia, in which the offensive script was markedly more aggressive for a second consecutive week, Coach Jay Gruden revealed that the thinking behind that measured approach to moving the ball wasn’t that simple.
“It wasn’t just Kirk [Cousins] we were trying to protect,” Gruden said in a conference call.