CLEVELAND — The Redskins decided one game without Robert Griffin III couldn’t hurt.
RG3 disagreed, but after Kirk Cousins kept Washington’s winning streak and playoff hopes intact, Griffin understood.
First place has him feeling better.
Cousins threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns filling in for an injured Griffin yesterday, leading Washington to its fifth straight win, a 38-21 conquest of the Browns, which lifted the Redskins into a three-way tie for the NFC East lead with the Giants and Cowboys.
Cousins connected with Leonard Hankerson for both TDs in his first career start and the Redskins (8-6) barely missed a beat without the talented and multi-dimensional Griffin, who sat out with a sprained right knee and wasn’t thrilled about having to stand on the sideline and watch his teammates play.
“I was not happy with the decision,” said Griffin, who was informed Saturday night of the plan to start Cousins. “I feel like I could have played this week, next week, the week after. But that’s not my decision.”
Turns out, the Redskins have more than one rookie QB who can win.
Last week, Cousins came off the bench after Griffin got hurt against Baltimore and rallied the Redskins to an overtime win. Cousins was behind center from the start of this one and delivered a performance that extended Washington’s longest winning streak since 2007.
Afterward, Griffin expressed disappointment at not suiting up, but Washington’s win took out some of the sting.
“We’re in first place in our division now, and it was a great business trip for us,” Griffin said. “I got healthier by not playing, we won the game and put ourselves in position to control our own destiny.”
Rookie Trent Richardson had a pair of TD runs for the Browns (5-9), who had their winning streak stopped at three and faint playoff hopes snuffed out.