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Holland Native Kirk Cousins Shines in First Career NFL Start

Posted at 5:12 PM, Dec 16, 2012
and last updated 2012-12-16 17:13:14-05

CLEVELAND, Ohio — It’s still Robert Griffin III’s team, but it was Kirk Cousin’s show today in Cleveland.

Cousins, a Holland Christian and Michigan State alum, filled in for the injured Griffin and led the Washington Redskins to their fifth straight victory, 38-21 over the Cleveland Browns. Cousins threw for 329 yards and two scores in his first career NFL start.

Cousins got off to a slow start, throwing an interception on his second drive of the game that led to the first score of the game, a Browns’ touchdown. He would settle down though and soon began to make himself at home at Browns stadium. His first touchdown pass was to Leonard Hankerson for 52-yards late in the first quarter to tie the game at 7-7. Cousins would find Hankerson again for his second TD pass, a two-yard pass on play-action that saw Cousins make a tough throw with a Browns defender quickly closing in on him.

Cousins finished the day with a 104.4 quarterback rating, which is very close to Griffin’s season rating of 104.2. The win moves Washington into tie for first place in the NFC East.