Colt McCoy could start if RG3 isn’t ready, Redskins coach suggests

The Washington Redskins trailed the Tennessee Titans at halftime, 10-6, and were booed by a home crowd that watched quarterback Kirk Cousins commit his 10th and 11th turnovers of the season.

Enter McCoy, who hadn’t played a significant role in a win since Nov. 20, 2011, when he helped Cleveland beat Jacksonville.

The little-used reserve came through. The Redskins halted a four-game losing streak and clinched a 19-17 victory over Tennessee with a 22-yard field goal by Kai Forbath as time expired.

“I don’t want to get emotional,” McCoy told reporters after Sunday’s victory. “But I’m just thankful that I’ve hung in there and kept fighting.”

McCoy started in style, completing a curl to Pierre Garçon on his first pass. The receiver turned and raced up the sideline for a 70-yard touchdown. In the end, McCoy completed 11 of 12 passes for 128 yards.

Redskins Coach Jay Gruden said the way McCoy finished was “a good sign” for his chances to start Washington’s next game, at Dallas, but that the first option is the on-the-mend Robert Griffin III.

“You’d like to have your decision made as soon as possible because you have to get them ready,” Gruden said. “You throw Robert in the mix, and Robert’s got a chance to practice on Wednesday, so we’ll have to see where he is. I think it starts with him and where he is health-wise, then from there, I’ll try to make a decision after watching the tape about what I’m going to do moving forward to Dallas.”