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After hauling in a beautiful 44-yard TD from Kirk Cousins, DeSean Jackson was targeted over the middle on the Redskins’ closing drive before the half but came up limping after trying to dive for the ball in traffic.

DeSean Jackson being evaluated for left knee and ankle injury. Same injuries that limited him earlier this week.

Jackson walked off the field under his own power but with assistance from Redskins personnel.

Jackson returned to the game in the second half but it's obviously something to keep an eye on. Jackson finished five catches for 96 yards and a TD.

With tight end Jordan Reed aligned in a tight slot position to the right and running back Chris Thompson split further outside, Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins pounced on a defensive move. When safety DeAngelo Hall walked up to the line of scrimmage across from Reed, Cousins called an audible.

It turned into a touchdown pass, though if there had been officials it might have been a pick play (can’t rewind practice tape to check it if you don’t have it). But once Hall crept to the line, the Redskins changed to what amounted to a screen by Thompson. That freed Reed to run to the corner and catch Cousins’ pass.

As the story said, it was an example of how quickly the offense can adjust to a move by the defense. And the story said it's not just Cousins, but the entire offense. Something to keep in mind is Cousins, Reed and Thompson are in their third year in this offense, so they quickly were able to change their assignments.

Though Redskins QB Kirk Cousins is in his fifth season, he's also started only 25 regular-season games. Subtle growth -- to an outsider, that is -- can be important.

"It's his overall command of the offense," Redskins offensive coordinator Sean McVay said.

"Kirk has done a nice job of handling it," McVay said. "You start to see him understand where the progression takes him based on that coverage and understanding situationally how aggressive I can be on certain window-type throws and how whether second or third down alters my approach and how I attack a play."

For now, the signs of growth are evident to them and Cousins himself.

"A better understanding of the nuances," Cousins said. "The basic design of plays I've always understood from Day 1. But there are so many nuances and unique situations that only experienced players and quarterbacks are able to navigate properly. So just continuing to get put in those situations and react and make quick decisions and the right ones is where I'm continuing to grow."

Cousins was the #17 QB through the first seven weeks of the season, but really started to produce after his Week 8 bye, averaging 20.9 PPG in his final nine games. That was the 4th-highest per game average during that stretch. He averaged 9.28 YPA in that span and threw at a 4318-yard, 36-TD pace. The team added Josh Doctson to an already talented receiving corps, so Cousins could offer top 10 numbers again in 2016.

The focus has been on what Josh Norman has done, or hasn't done. But the mailbag deals with the guy on the other end: receiver DeSean Jackson -- and what sort of camp he's having.

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Brian Prongay @Hcane28
@john_keim Forget the negativity to Norman...is this best D Jax has looked as a skin? #Jkredskins
9:14 AM - 5 Aug 2016
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John Keim: Yes, DeSean Jackson is having a good camp and part of the reason, coaches and teammates say, is because of Josh Norman’s presence. That’s what good competition does for a player, or should do. It brings out their best and the prevailing notion with the Redskins is that’s exactly what Norman has done for Jackson.

“It sounds cliché,” Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins said, “but that’s the truth of the matter. [Jackson is] a great talent and he’s had a really good camp.”

The story pointed out another reason, too - Jackson is healthy. The last two summers he’s dealt with minor injuries that took a bit longer to return from; you can take from that what you want. This is probably the longest Jackson has practiced in training camp with Washington since signing in 2014.

Redskins are tagging QB Kirk Cousins, per league source. Only decision left is whether team uses franchise or transition tag on him.

Cousins finished as the #9 fantasy quarterback in his first full season as the starter. If the team places the franchise tag on him, he'll be Washington's starter again in 2016. If they use the transition tag, then they'll have the right to match any offer that he gets in free agency.

It’s a new experience for the entire organization. Washington Redskins Coach Jay Gruden has had several days to figure out his approach for Sunday’s regular season finale against the Dallas Cowboys, and he is planning to use his healthy players with a home playoff game on the horizon. It’s unknown at this point, however, how long some of the Redskins’ key starters will play with the team locked into the NFC’s No. 4 seed.

“I have a good feel for it, so we just have to make that determination,” Gruden said. “Number one, it’s the health of our football team with these injured guys who are legitimately injured and can’t play. Then, from there, we’ll have to figure out the able bodies that we have — personnel groupings will be adjusted — and then throughout the course of the game, we’ll make adjustments depending on the situation.”

“It’s important for us to be healthy come playoff time, but it is also to have some kind of momentum also going in,” Gruden said. “I’d like to end on a four-game winning streak, win three games in a row on the road, finish the fourth quarter [of the season] 4-0 [and] finish 9-7. I think it’s a hell of a step in the right direction. The guys that are able to play are planning on playing and competing.”

Related players: Matt Jones, DeSean Jackson, Kirk Cousins, Jordan Reed, Pierre Garcon

Matt Jones (hip) and DeSean Jackson (knee) are on the injury report this week, so they are the top candidates to see a reduction in playing time. It's also possible that Kirk Cousins, Jordan Reed and Pierre Garcon see reduced snaps as well.

Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins says game experience ranks as the single biggest reason for his marked improvement in recent weeks.

“My fundamentals are much better [and] I feel like I’m a more polished quarterback, a more polished player, a more mature player,” he said. “That is in all phases—whether it’s fundamentals, decision making, recognition of defenses. That comes with time.”

“And that’s no surprise," he added. "I mean, if you start and play long enough in this league, you expect that to happen.”

Cousins will make the 19th start of his four-year career. But, more importantly, it’ll mark his 10th consecutive start of 2015. Prior to this season, the 27-year-old had never made more than five starts in a row. Cousins continues to improve. He's thrown one INT over his last three games after eight in his first six contests.

The Redskins’ biggest play against the Saints came on a very short pass. In the second quarter, Kirk Cousins dumped a screen pass to running back Matt Jones, who picked up blocks from his linemen and receivers, and rolled 78 yards for a touchdown that gave the Redskins a lead they never relinquished.

It was the longest pass play to a Redskins running back since Larry Brown went 89 yards with a screen pass in a game against the Jets in 1972. It seems to Redskins fans that it has been that long since a screen pass worked for the team. That may be an exaggeration but the play that is a staple of Football 101 rarely seems to work for the Redskins.

Jay Gruden would like to see that change.

“They’re important, especially if you’re playing some of these pass rush teams that like to get up the field and rush,” he said. “It slows them down a little bit. We have some linemen that are very athletic and can get out in space. Last week was really our first time we had a lot of success with those screen passes and I expect us to have more as the season goes on.”

The story pointed out it's not as easy as it might look to execute a screen pass, and last week the Saints were a much friendlier matchup compared to what the Panthers will be this week. But, it sounds like the Skins would like to make it part of their offense. They certainly have the weapons as Jones proved last week. The team also has Chris Thompson as their third RB. Jones' fantasy value could really get a boost if he becomes more involved in the passing game.