The Washington Redskins, against all odds, have found themselves in a situation where Sunday's season finale in Dallas is meaningless, but in a good way.
Jay Gruden and Co. are going to the playoffs. Their ticket is punched. But this raises another interesting question that no one thought Gruden would have to answer this year: Should Washington rest Kirk Cousins and a few other key starters in Dallas?
"We'll have to wait and see and talk about it as a staff and see where the injury report stands with Kirk and see how he's feeling," Gruden told reporters Tuesday, via the team's official site. "But I think he is pretty injury free, but if he is injury free, a lot will depend on who's playing around him, and go from there."
Cousins did get rocked a few times against the Eagles last Saturday, which could put Gruden on edge. Gruden admitted that there are some "arguments" in favor of just sitting their starting quarterback, which would likely mean that Colt McCoy would get the nod and Robert Griffin III would be active.
The prospect of Griffin playing his first snaps of the year would also be enough to keep us interested, and for a club that is still on the lower tier talent-wise among playoff contenders, preserving their best might be the smart play.
Gruden knows this is a no-win situation should something extreme happen. Of course if the Redskins sit their starters and lose in the first round of the playoffs, the end of their season will be blamed on a malaise created by the season finale. If Cousins plays and gets hurt, the outcry will be even greater.
