The Washington Redskins were blown out by the Carolina Panthers in Week 11 and the game saw Kirk Cousins struggle for Jay Gruden, while Alfred Morris was banged up with a rib cage injury. Cousins came into the weekend amid talk that he could get a contract extension for 2016 and if that happens, it likely means the end of Robert Griffin III in DC.
Cousins and the Redskins started off the game well, hanging around at 14-14 against the Panthers, but the team could not muster anything else on offense after that. The team struggled with turnovers and the only other points they scored the rest of the way was a safety that the Panthers took while running out the clock. Cousins came into the game after a great performance against the Saints, but he struggled against the Panthers with an interception and two lost fumbles.
Cousins came into the game on a hot streak after throwing eight touchdowns and just one interception over his previous three games, but he couldn't keep things going against the undefeated Panthers. The struggles likely will not change anything in the eyes of Jay Gruden, as he has been supportive of Cousins all season and has said that he wants the quarterback to return in 2016.
Cousins is in the final year of his contract and according to the Washington Post, Gruden is interested in keeping Cousins around in the future. Gruden was quoted saying that Cousins is a "guy we'd like to keep around, no doubt," but added that it will be up to the front office to get a deal done. Cousins is likely to work on some type of deal with the Redskins, as Gruden has shown that he prefers the former Michigan State quarterback over Robert Griffin, who has not started for the Redskins this season.
Griffin is under contract for next season after the team picked up his fifth year option at $16.155 million, but that is guaranteed for injury only and that likely means he is out for 2016. ESPN reported that the Redskins did not receive much trade interest for Griffin at the deadline and that means he is more likely to get released over being traded. The Redskins still remain in the NFC East division race with the Giants just 5-5, but they will need to rebound quickly after this loss to the Panthers.
Alfred Morris has been inconsistent this season and he comes out of the Week 11 game with an injury, although the running back said to ESPN that he was "good" after the loss. Morris had just two rushes in the game and gained zero yards and the Redskins may continue to push Matt Jones more on offense, which has been the case for most of the season. The team added Christine Michael after he was let go from the Cowboys and moving forward that could mean that Morris is also going to be gone in 2016, as he is a free agent this offseason.
