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Redskins Fans Face Playoff Conundrum
Hey Redskins fans, who are you rooting for Saturday?
The NFL Divisional Round of the 2019 season playoffs will be played this upcoming weekend.
Yes, there will again be four games this upcoming weekend, but immediately when I realized a particular matchup, I thought of Redskins memories.
In particular, the first game this weekend, at 4:35 PM ET Saturday as the Minnesota Vikings visit the San Francisco 49ers.
As a Redskin fan - will you be rooting for the 49ers coached by Kyle Shanahan or the Minnesota Vikings - whose quarterback is Kirk Cousins?
Shanahan’s team is 13-3, has the home field advantage through the NFC playoffs and is a seven point favorite.
Kyle was the Redskins’ offensive coordinator for dad (Mike) during the 2010-2013 seasons.
Earlier this season when the 49ers were prepping to play the Redskins, Kyle was asked about his feelings having worked for the Redskins earlier in his coaching career.
He proceeded to tell reporters that getting to work with his dad, some good coaches and other good people—including many of the players—were highlights, adding the worst part of working in Washington was "everything else."
Like this year’s 2019 Redskins team, Kyle’s last Redskins’ team (2013) also finished 3-13.
At the conclusion of the season both Kyle and dad Mike were fired.
Sports Illustrated
A painful memory for Redskins fans is that coaching staff also included current Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur as the quarterbacks coach and current Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay as the tight ends coach.
Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins was drafted by Washington in round four of the 2012 NFL Draft.
The move brought instant disapproval from many Redskins fans; even more, it brought condemnation from some in the sports media.
Just a couple of days after Robert Griffin and Cousins were drafted by Washington, Skip Bayless heavily criticized the selection of Cousins even asserting it was not fair racially to Griffin.
Keep in mind that Griffin was drafted second and Cousins at number 102.
When Griffin struggled in 2013 and 2014, coupled with Cousins outplaying an injured Griffin in the 2015 preseason, Cousins was named the starting quarterback for the season.
Rather than be praised for his development, Cousins was again not credited by many Redskins fans and some national sports pundits.
Cousins came through in 2015, leading Washington to wins in their final four games, throwing 12 touchdowns and only one interception.
Yet, when the Redskins lost to Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay in the first round of the playoffs, Cousins was blamed the most, for not winning, and thus began the narrative that has haunted Cousins—he can’t win a big game.
Cousins, according to his critics, is always the chief reason he has continued to lose on Monday Night Football and in other high profile contests.
Yes, there have been tough losses where he did not play his best, such as the final game of the 2016 season when a victory would have placed the Redskins in the playoffs.
However the Redskins lost at home to the New York Giants.
In 2017 Cousins again did not come through with big games down the stretch of the season and the Redskins finished 7-9, missing the playoffs.
Reading some Redskins fans on Twitter, you would think Kirk Cousins has never helped his teams win games.
Yet - in his last season in a Redskins uniform, Cousins had three come-from-behind wins (Rams, 49ers, Seahawks).
Officially Cousins has ten come-from-behind wins and 13 game-winning drives.
Hey Redskins fans, did you know only two of those have come as a Minnesota Viking?
Now, Cousins has a playoff game-winning drive as well!
Sunday Cousins completed three big passes in an overtime drive that led the Vikings to a 26-20 playoff win against the Saints, and no less, on the road in New Orleans.
Do “you like that”, Redskins fans?
Perhaps Redskins fans will be too frustrated Saturday, and thus not root for either Cousins or Shanahan.
If you can’t endure to watch that game, you can always watch the Seattle at Green Bay game.
Bleacher Report
Uh-oh beware, that game will also feature former Redskins, Preston Smith (outside linebacker) and current Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur.
© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Hope along with me, that soon in the playoffs, we will be rooting for the team wearing burgundy and gold.
Ivan Lambert is a lifelong die-hard Washington Redskins fan, raised in Berryville, Virginia. He is married and the father of two fine young men. He is currently a sports correspondent for The Ledger in Lakeland, Florida and can be found on Twitter @IvanLambert18
