RGIII Benched For Kirk Cousins

And here we are. According to reports from Pro Football Talk and the NFL Network, Kirk Cousins will start for the Redskins on Sunday, leaving Robert Griffin III to watch from the bench, possibly for the rest of the season.

Mike Shanahan had indicated this might happen, and couched it as preserving Griffin's health for next season. But those in the know believe this to be a Shanahan power play: Shanahan is trying to use Griffin, Dan Snyder's favored player, as an excuse for the owner to fire him. Washington would then owe Shanahan the $7 million remaining on his contract. Snyder called Shanahan's bluff, indicating he wouldn't stand in the way of Cousins starting. So that's exactly what's going to happen.

Two of the Washington's final three games are against teams with nothing to play for, and the third is against a weak Cowboys defense. Cousins is going to do great, because that's how these things always work, and this offseason could easily see a QB controversy: Operation Impatience.