But first, here are some things that stood out from the victory over the Browns after a second look.

1. Fine line for Cousins – Quarterback Kirk Cousins made some great plays and appeared to take a step forward in his progression after starting off the season on such a shaky foot. Consistency and awareness remain issues for the quarterback. Here are some of the positives from Sunday: Cousins was at his best in the first quarter when he got off to a 7-for-7 start, marched his team downfield and threaded the needle to Jordan Reed for the first touchdown. He then came back on the second drive and connected with Reed again in the end zone. Cousins got the ball out quickly and threw with confidence. On the second touchdown, he did a great job of feeling the pressure while keeping his eyes scanning the end zone. He scrambled to his left, buying Reed a split second longer and then fired a pass to the tight end in the back of the end zone. Later, Cousins rolled out and intended to hit Ryan Grant on a play-action pass, but Grant got held up at the line, so Cousins went through his progressions, and hit Reed again for a 26-yard catch-and-run. Those plays were impressive because of the patience and sharp instincts that Cousins displayed.

But later, trying to do the same thing led to a pair of drive-killing sacks. In the fourth quarter, Washington got the ball at its 43 and Matt Jones ripped off a 25-yard run. Then Cousins got sacked for an 8-yard loss when he should’ve thrown the ball away. An incompletion followed, and on third and 18, Cousins got sacked for another 10-yard loss, bringing on fourth and 28. Cousins admitted after the game that he should have thrown the ball away in both instances. But he believed that his receivers needed only a split second longer to get open, and then he could hit them for a pickup. Both times.

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How’s a quarterback to know when to hold the ball half a second longer, and when to cut bait? “Welcome to the NFL,” Cousins said after the game, with a grin. He said it’s just a feel thing that he’s still trying to hone, and that an ability to know when to hold on and when to throw away is what separates quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady from other guys. Cousins hopes better awareness comes as he continues to play and work.

He has another area to work on, and that’s locking in on receivers. His interception came because he was so locked in on Jamison Crowder that he didn’t see cornerback Jamar Taylor playing zone coverage and poised to break on the ball. Cousins needs to look off the defender first, or recognize that waiting cornerback and go elsewhere. He had Jones open underneath, and a completion there would have led to an even bigger gain than would have a completion to Crowder in that situation, Cousins said after reconsidering the play.

Still, Cousins had an effective day, completing 78 percent of his passes and coming away from the red zone with three touchdown passes. Because of last season and his $19.95 million franchise-player salary, Cousins will be subject to high expectations this season, and unless he has a perfect game, he’ll draw criticism, whether fair or not. The positive from Sunday centered on Cousins’s ability to rebound from the interception to help get his offense back on track. He did that, and helped the offense close out the game with a 14-0 fourth quarter and earn the victory.

2. McVay’s adjustment – In these back-to-back victories, offensive coordinator Sean McVay has called his best two games of the season, and it’s no coincidence that he did so after making what he saw as an important adjustment. He moved up to the coaches booth to call the past two games, and turned over individual in-game coaching to his position coaches.

McVay had experimented with this during the preseason because the NFL changed the rule, which allows a coach to communicate on the quarterback’s helmet radio from up in the booth and not just on the sideline. McVay said during the preseason that he missed physically interacting with Cousins in game on the sidelines. But after the offense – and McVay, himself – struggled in Weeks 1 and 2, McVay decided to move back up to the booth.

He sent tight ends coach Wes Phillips down from the booth to the sideline, and now has him directly coaching his position players, Ike Hilliard coaching his wide receivers, Bill Callahan the offensive linemen and Matt Cavanaugh the quarterbacks. The way McVay sees it, these position coaches are the voices the players need for technical adjustments in-game. Sure, he can tell a quarterback what to change, but Cavanaugh is a veteran coach and former NFL quarterback and is just as valuable in this regard. This frees up McVay to have things set up in a more organized – and less chaotic – setting. He also has an improved field view, which enables him to better see holes in the defense, and what’s working in the trenches or in the secondary, and what’s not. That has translated to a more balanced attack in back-to-back weeks. The results have spoken for themselves. Cousins has had his two most efficient outings, and the run game has clicked much better. We saw some really well-designed plays, and that has to do with McVay’s bird’s eye view.

Probably my favorite play from the day was the touchdown pass to Chris Thompson. Reed split out and signaled to Cousins, and the defense keyed on the tight end as he came off the line and cut in, taking defenders with him. No one saw Thompson initially leak from the backfield behind Reed on an out route. By the time they did, it was too late.

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3. The education of Matt Jones – Sure, he’s big, and he’s strong and fast. But that doesn’t mean that running in the NFL just comes automatically. But in the past two weeks, there has been improved execution from the first-year starter. Against the Giants, Jones carried the ball 17 times for 65 yards, with the bulk of those carries coming on the decisive fourth-quarter drive. This week, Jones ran a career-high 22 times, for 117 yards and a touchdown. Again, Jones seemed most effective in the fourth quarter (although he did have nice runs earlier in the game).

The big chicken-and-the-egg question: Is Jones better because he gets more opportunities? Or, does he get more opportunities because he’s running better? It’s a little bit of both, he and his coaches say. McVay has committed to the run more. But success by Jones has helped fuel the play-caller’s confidence and commitment.

The key to the improved success: better field vision, understanding of defenses and sharper decision-making. Jones said that he has been watching Marshawn Lynch and Adrian Peterson more as of late. He does that to help him figure out how to make better (and faster) decisions, and how to run with more authority. It’s not like college where he’ll run through gaping holes every time, Jones has learned. And he’s also understanding that he’s not going to just be able to run around everyone.

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So, he’s running harder, dealing blows more effectively and picking up more yards after contact. “I’m learning this — how I’m running and getting downfield, finishing runs. You know, I get in the rhythm early and that’s where coaches kind of excel and they kind of get a feel of where I’m coming from. And they’ve given me more opportunities, and when we’re rolling like that, they want to keep giving me the ball. Like I said, I’m going to keep learning and keep learning from this game. Last week’s game kind of gave me that learning edge. So, it was great.”

This is huge for the Redskins. Washington’s offensive line (including new starters Arie Kouandjio and Spencer Long) definitely did a great job of getting out in front and creating running lanes for Jones. But we’ve seen plenty of games where he doesn’t stick behind a block long enough, or runs the wrong way, or tries to bounce something outside when he could’ve hit a cut-back lane and picked up more yardage.

On Sunday, Cousins had to attempt only 27 passes, instead of the 40-plus passes thrown in Weeks 1 and 2. This balance definitely fits Washington’s capabilities and personnel better for now.

4. Now, about the defense – Is this bend but don’t break, or teetering on the edge of disaster and escaping with some day-saving plays here and there? Tough question to answer. Yes, the defense has played a huge role in the past two games. Six takeaways in two games is impressive. But allowing an average of 123 rushing yards in those two outings combined, and continued struggles on third downs certainly raises serious concerns.

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A team wants its defensive players constantly working for takeaways, but the Redskins can’t always count on late-game takeaways (they may have gotten lucky on that final fourth-quarter fumble, because TV footage shows a Browns lineman holding the ball in the air while players wrestled over, what, I’m not sure, and distracted referees in the process). Quality teams do a better job of taking care of the ball. And they take advantage of an opponent’s weaknesses. So, you can expect foes to continue pounding the football against the Redskins.

We’ve talked about these problems before. Sunday featured more of the same. Washington’s defensive linemen don’t shed blocks. They don’t shove blockers back into running lanes. They get knocked back and backs dart by for five, six, seven yards, or more. Washington’s linebackers have seemed to react slowly, both against the run, and the pass. Tight ends ran free and didn’t get tackled until eight to 10 yards downfield. Players say they have to keep working and get better. But it’s just a fact that they have their limitations. Joe Barry has put more men on the line, and brought a safety into the box to help the inside linebackers. But players aren’t making plays, Ricky Jean Francois admitted. He blamed poor fundamentals, but said it’s not the coaches’ fault, because they have instructed day in and day out.

The inability to stop the run with the front hurts in another area. Not only are those guys getting gashed, but it prevents the defense from being able to drop seven and eight men into coverage to crowd the secondary and force the quarterback into mistakes. It’s just a mess, and there’s no quick fix coming. This is likely what’s going to happen all year long. The Redskins and their fans had better hope and pray that the takeaways continue to come, bailing out the poor run defense.

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5. First quarter lookback – Okay, so this is what we’ve learned about the Redskins in the first quarter of the season: They’re not as good as they thought they’d be, but they’re probably not as bad as they have seemed. Yes, the run defense is terrible. That’s not likely improving dramatically. But the ability to force turnovers helps some. The offense is on its way to regaining its potency. Cousins is hitting his stride, as are McVay and Jones. The offensive line looks like it’ll be fine with Kouandjio and Long at guard and center. So, this team will score points, they just better score a lot, because the defense won’t stop many teams.

Some areas to keep an eye on in the next four games: strong safety, where Duke Ihenacho appears poised to take over. David Bruton Jr. has a concussion, and it’s unclear how much time he’ll miss. But Ihenacho is a talented and starting-caliber safety who just needed an opportunity. He could wind up making a difference in the box and in pass coverage.

Su’a Cravens’s continued evolution also should command your attention. We’ll learn later this week if a concussion will sideline him for serious time. But when he does return, Cravens is going to continue to make plays, like he did yesterday, breaking up a pass near the goal line despite the Browns’ efforts to tie him up with a crossing route. He deserves more playing time. Barry has to find a more full-time role for this young playmaker.

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Trent Murphy picked up another sack. Make that four in four games. Where has that come from? Improved hand-to-hand combat technique, and more film study, he says. Washington needs Preston Smith to have a breakthrough, and they need Ryan Kerrigan to quickly heal from his sprained elbow (he’s day-to-day for now).

The Redskins need to emerge from the next four games – at Baltimore, vs. Philly, at Detroit and vs. Cincinnati in London – with a winning record, because the Eagles and Cowboys seem to be better than anyone expected, and the Giants are solid. For now, Washington’s last in the division and needs to gain some ground.