Redskins earn East title, playoff ticket

WASHINGTON — Kirk Cousins threw four touchdowns Saturday as the Washington Redskins clinched the NFC East division title and their NFL playoff berth with 38-24 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. The Redskins improved to 8-7 with their third victory in a row and are back in the post-season for the first time since 2012. The Eagles fell to 6-9, missing the playoffs for the second time in three years under coach Chip Kelly. Washington’s victory also eliminated the New York Giants, who are 6-8 heading into a Sunday game against the Minnesota Vikings. The Dallas Cowboys had already been eliminated from playoff contention in the woeful NFC East. Despite the weakness of the division, the Redskins looked like unlikely candidates for the crown after going 4-12 in 2014 and languishing at 5-7 this year. But they have rallied late in the season behind strong play from Cousins, who completed 31 of 46 passes for 365 yards without an interception on a rainy night in Philadelphia. Cousins wasn’t flawless however, his mental mistake at the end of the first half costing his team a chance of at least a field goal. With six seconds left in the half and the Redskins in scoring position on the Eagles’ seven-yard line, Cousins inexplicably took a knee — letting the clock run out without a play. That left the Redskins’ lead 16-10 at halftime, and Cousins bounced back from the error. He threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Chris Thompson to stretch the lead to 23-10 in the third quarter. Eagles running back DeMarco Murray rushed for a four-yard TD to trim the deficit to 23-17 with 4:7 left in the third. But Murray’s later fumble was collected by Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall, who ran 17 yards for touchdown that made it 30-17. Cousins later threw his fourth touchdown pass of the night, to wide receiver Pierre Garcon, and a two-point conversion gave Washington a 38-17 lead. Eagles fans were heading for the exits when Philadelphia tacked on a late TD. — AFP