LANDOVER, Md. — On a windy Sunday night at FedEx Field, Kirk Cousins and the Washington Redskins blew past the Green Bay Packers.
Cousins passed for 375 yards and three touchdowns, Robert Kelley rushed for 137 yards and three scores, and the Redskins defeated the Packers 42-24.
Pierre Garcon caught six passes for 116 yards and a touchdown, and Jamison Crowder had 102 yards and a touchdown on three catches for Washington (6-3-1), which has won six-of-eight after opening with two losses.
“I don’t know how he did it,” Redskins coach Jay Gruden said of Cousins’ accuracy on what seemed like a November night at Lambeau Field with a game-time temperature of 37 degrees that felt like 27 with the wind.
“The one to Pierre was a 70-yard touchdown. I don’t think I could throw the ball 10 yards into that thing, but he spun it. He’s always been able to knife the ball through the wind, really.”
The Redskins play at East Division-leading Dallas (9-1) on Thanksgiving.
Slumping Green Bay (4-6) has lost four straight — allowing 153 points — and sits two games behind Minnesota and Detroit in the NFC North.
“We put ourselves in a tough spot,” Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. “We’ve got to find a way to get a win next week (at Philadelphia). Approach it one week at a time. That’s all we’ve got right now. We’re in a tough stretch.”
Rodgers passed for 351 yards (on 26-of-41 passing) and three touchdowns. Tight end Jared Cook returned from an injury and caught six passes for 105 yards and a touchdown.
Leading 29-24, the Redskins converted a fourth-and-1 at their own 41. Three plays later, Cousins (21 of 30, no interceptions) found Crowder for 53 yards to the Green Bay 1-yard line with 4:20 left, and Kelley bulled in to make it 35-24. Green Bay turned it over on its next possession and Washington had a measure of revenge for last season’s 35-18 home loss to Green Bay in a wild-card playoff game.
“They beat us last year so we kind of had a bad taste in our mouth after the playoff game,” Crowder said, “but it’s a huge win for us.”
Kelly, an undrafted rookie who has started the last three games, is averaging 4.8 yards per carry.
“He’s a strong back, has great vision and runs extremely hard, so we’re thrilled to death,” Gruden said.
In the span of three second-half plays, Cousins threw two long touchdown passes against Green Bay’s banged-up secondary, which lost cornerback Demetri Goodson to a knee injury in the first half.
On third-and-11 from the Green Bay 44 late in the third quarter, Cousins found Crowder behind cornerback Quinten Rollins for the touchdown.
The two-point conversion failed and the Redskins led 22-10 after three.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Rodgers dumped a pass off to James Starks, and with no Redskins on his side of the field, Starks rambled 31 yards, pulling Green Bay to within 22-17.
It took Cousins just two plays to get it back. On second-and-5 from the 30, he found Garcon behind LaDarius Gunter at the Packers 30 and Garcon covered the rest for a 70-yard score.
“On defense we didn’t stop them,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. “Our pass defense, we didn’t get off the field.”
Rodgers’ 6-yard touchdown pass to Jared Cook made it 29-24 Redskins with 10:04 left.
After Green Bay’s third straight three-and-out to start the game, the Redskins went 55 yards in eight plays. Cousins was 5 of 6 for 51 yards on the drive and capped it with a 17-yard scoring pass to DeSean Jackson, back after sitting out one game with a shoulder injury.
Green Bay responded with a 17-play, 75-yard drive to tie it. Rodgers completed nine passes and Washington provided an assist. On fourth-and-7 at the Redskins 38, Rodgers’ pass was incomplete, but Bashaud Breeland was called for a hands-to-the-face penalty, and the Packers got a fresh set of downs.
On third-and-goal from the 13, Rodgers found Jordy Nelson in the back of the end zone, giving Nelson his ninth touchdown catch.
After Mason Crosby’s field goal made it 10-7 Green Bay, Cousins drove the Redskins 75 yards in 2:58 and Kelley’s 10-yard run with 39 seconds left in the half gave Washington the lead. Facing a strong wind, the Redskins tried for a two-point conversion but failed.
NOTES: Packers LB Clay Matthews (hamstring) returned after missing three games and TE Jared Cook (ankle) saw his first action since Week 3. … Redskins WR DeSean Jackson (shoulder) was back after missing one game. … With his second-quarter sack, Washington’s Ryan Kerrigan joined Jared Allen, Derrick Thomas, DeMarcus Ware and Reggie White as the only players to register at least 7.5 sacks in each of his first six NFL seasons. … Jordy Nelson (58) moved into sole possession of third place on the Packers’ all-time touchdown receptions list.
