NFL: Kirk Cousins can't be the fall guy for the Washington Redskins 

Whenever a team gets crushed in a National Football League game, people typically blame the quarterback for the loss. The Washington Redskins lost 38-14 against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night. A lot of people are pointing the finger at quarterback Kirk Cousins, but he is far from being the team's top problem.

Cousins has taken a beating game in and game out. His offensive line doesn't give him enough protection, which is unacceptable even though they are banged up most of the time. He has been sacked 35 times in 12 games this season, and he has also been blitzed constantly.

Washington's lack of receiving and running games

Cousins's intended receivers are dropping passes. A pass even went through Jamison Crowder's hands in the Red Zone in the Thursday night game, leading to an interception.

He doesn't have the playmakers he had a year ago like receivers DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon. His top target, tight end Jordan Reed, has been out since October 29th with a hamstring injury. Reed only has 27 catches for 211 yards receiving and two touchdowns this year.

Jamison Crowder has 51 receptions for 628 yards and one touchdown. Chris Thompson, who is out for the season, finished with 39 receptions for 510 yards and four touchdowns. Ryan Grant, who barely played last season, has 36 receptions for 417 yards and four touchdowns.

Vernon Davis, an older tight end, has 35 catches for 542 yards and one touchdown. Second-year receiver Josh Doctson is starting to emerge, as he has 24 catches for 354 yards receiving and five touchdowns. Terrelle Pyror had his season shortened due to ankle surgery. He finished with 240 yards on 20 catches and a touchdown.

The team's leading rusher is rookie Samaje Perine, who has run for 465 yards on 125 carries and a touchdown. He wasn't even the starter to start the season. Washington lacks a decent running game.

Cousins has still been solid

Cousins's stats for the season are a 66.6% completion percentage for 3,289 yards, 21 touchdowns and eight interceptions. In his NFL career, he has completed 66% of his passes for 15,402 yards, 93 touchdowns and 50 interceptions.

His career record as a starting quarterback is 24-28-1, but that isn't all his fault. Sometimes he plays well and it is the defense that lets him down. The team's defense is ranked 18th in the NFL in total yardage allowed this season. Against the New Orleans Saints earlier in the season, Washington led 31-16 with under five minutes to go and they lost by a score of 34-31 in overtime.

That was Cousins's best game of the season. He completed 68.8% of his passes for 322 yards and three touchdowns. He is currently playing under a $24 million dollar franchise tag. If the Redskins, who currently have a record of 5-7, were to lose him in free agency, who could they find better than him?

Other options for the Redskins moving forward

I don't think there are many other options that they could find on the market right now, especially since he really isn't their problem. Drafting Mason Rudolph or Josh Allen would be better for the Redskins. The odds are they will most likely not get top quarterback prospects Josh Rosen or Sam Darnold, so one of those two quarterbacks could be a good fit.