The Washington Redskins, 2015 NFC East division champions, are ready for the playoffs. This team boasts a potent offense capable of thriving in postseason football.Success on that side of the ball is being inspired by record-setting playmakers. Quarterback Kirk Cousins and tight end Jordan Reed are dominating defenses.Their dominance keyed the 38-24 road win over the Philadelphia Eagles that wrapped up the division. The pair spent all night at Lincoln Financial Fieldsending Redskins franchise records tumbling.For Cousins that meant completing 31 of 46 passes for 365 yards and a quartet of touchdowns. The yard mark yielded Cousins' primary record, according to NFLonESPN Twitter:He also established a team first for the Burgundy and Gold in the modern era, as noted by B/R Insights:During the course of the game, No. 8 also tied a mark set by a franchise legend nearly seven decades ago, per Mike Jones of the Washington Post:Cousins' increasing penchant for hurling scoring passes has actually turned into a league-leading habit, according to NFLonCBS Twitter:Of those touchdown passes, 11 have gone to Reed, arguably the most dynamic tight end in football. That's put the third-year catch machine among the elite on the franchise leaderboard:But Reed now has one record all to himself after a breakout year this season:It's fitting that he owns this mark. Reed has been a mismatch every week. Defenses just don't know how to focus on this prolific wide receiver trapped in a tight end's body.Play defensive coordinator for a second and ask yourself, whom do you cover him with' An inside linebacker can't do it. Just ask Eagles duo Mychal Kendricks and DeMeco Ryans after Reed helped himself to nine catches for 129 yards and a pair of scores.But don't think putting a safety on Reed will work either. He's too quick for that. He's also too big and physical for a cornerback. No defensive coordinator has worked it out this season.But it isn't just Reed's physical gifts that show up on the field. How he applies them is a big key as well. Specifically, he's unique among his position as a route runner, as ESPN analysts John Keim and Louis Riddick described:Other coaches don't know the answer. But Washington head coach Jay Gruden and his staff certainly know what a weapon they've got and how to use it.Gruden and offensive coordinator Sean McVay have designed formations and concepts to maximize each of Reed's core attributes. His two touchdowns in Philadelphia beautifully illustrated the point.The first was a 22-yard connection in the opening quarter. It was all about showing off Reed's speed, along with exposing the folly of ever allowing No. 86 a free release off the line.NFL Network Twitter provided a highlight of the play:What really stood out about the play design was how the Redskins flooded the field with multiple vertical routes. In particular, the post pattern run from the left by slot receiver Jamison Crowder gave one half of Philly's two-deep safety shell a decision to make.The smart money should be on choosing to stay over the top of Reed, Washington's premier danger man in the passing game. But as this play showed, even a split second's hesitation is all it takes for the former Florida man to punish you.ESPN's Matt Bowen applauded the way Washington's concept had taken advantage of the Eagles coverage scheme:The Redskins had also exploited tendencies along Philadelphia's front seven. Coordinator Bill Davis loves to have middle 'backers Kendricks and Ryans play aggressively downhill. But they can't do that against Reed.Ultimately, that's the biggest advantage he affords Washington's offense. Namely forcing a defense to play passive, an unpopular notion in the ultra-macho, chest-beating environment of defensive football.Taking a player out of his comfort zone usually leads to disaster. It certainly did on Reed's second score, a 12-yarder.This time, he motioned to the other side of the line to isolate against a linebacker, in this case, Kendricks. Reed now had a choice of which way to break, while Kendricks had no chance, as NFL Network showed:Bowen noted how tough a task the Eagles had trying to subdue Reed when he has this kind of freedom:This choice route, where Reed picks his break depending on the defender's movement and leverage, reminded me of the way the Green Bay Packers used to free wideout Robert Brooks underneath in the mid-nineties.For Washington, option routes are a cute schematic twist that help the Redskins emphasize Reed's stop-start quickness and excellent cuts out of his breaks.Riffing the playbook is only something coaches do when they have total faith in their quarterback. Cousins is more than justifying that level of belief from Gruden and McVay.His final touchdown throw of the game, a 13-yarder Pierre Garcon's way in the fourth quarter, showed just how far he's progressed this season. The play was the perfect combination of mental manipulation and physical accuracy, per Keim:A savvy mind married to a talented arm. It's the dream blend every coach wants in the starting quarterback. Cousins has it and has been using both qualities to make the most of his pass attempts this season, as numbers from Football Perspective help make clear:Garcon's score was also an ominous reminder there's more to this offense than just Cousins to Reed. Some of the quarterback's other weapons are pretty darn good. Weapons like Garcon, DeSean Jackson, Crowder and running backs Chris Thompson and Pierre Thomas.With two playmakers in dominant mood, surrounded by a deep and gifted supporting cast, and armed with clever schemes to set their talents free, the Redskins have the offense to give their playoff opponents nightmares.Follow me on Twitter.
Click here to read full news..
