How does Redskins' playoff loss impact a possible Cousins extension?

The Washington Redskins couldn't find a way past the Green Bay Packers in Saturday's wild-card matchup, but the overwhelming consensus is the team is on the right track.

The Redskins appear to have found stability in the front office, with the addition of general manager Scot McCloughan a year ago looking especially prescient, and they have shed the off-field distractions that plagued the team in recent seasons.

Most importantly, the Redskins appear to have found a quarterback worthy of building around.

It wasn't the quarterback they expected it to be. Kirk Cousins was almost an afterthought when the Redskins selected him in the fourth round of the 2012 draft - four rounds after Robert Griffin III. Now he's the face of the franchise.

How long he will remain the face of the franchise, and what that's worth, is the most important question the Redskins must answer this offseason.

Cousins is set to hit unrestricted free agency and reports suggest the Redskins will do what they can to stop him from getting there.

The franchise tag would allow the Redskins to retain Cousins for a year, but the price of tagging a quarterback is steep. A long-term extension would allow the Redskins to spread out Cousins' cap hit, but it's fair to question whether Cousins has shown enough to earn such a commitment.

His regular-season stats suggest he has - with one caveat.

Cousins set a Redskins record with 4,166 yards passing, led the NFL in completion percentage (69.8), tossed 29 touchdowns to just 11 interceptions, and won a division title.

It's distressing that Cousins failed to beat a team with a record over .500 in the regular season, but wins is a team stat and it's unfair to hang that failure entirely on Cousins' head.

Sunday's loss to the Packers can be classified similarly. Cousins didn't do enough to propel the Redskins to a win, and he missed some throws he really needed to make, but his final stats were better than Aaron Rodgers' and he flashed signs of a bright future.

Ultimately, the Redskins must ask themselves if the risk of committing starting quarterback money to Cousins despite his limited resume is more desirable than the hardship of starting their quarterback search anew.

It's an easy question to answer. Cousins is not yet a top-flight quarterback, but the fact he's even approaching that level puts him head and shoulders above any Redskins passer in recent memory or any available in free agency or the draft.

McCloughan is a savvy negotiator and he will surely aim to limit the Redskins' long-term financial risk - a pay-as-you-go deal like the one Andy Dalton signed with the Cincinnati Bengals could serve as a starting point in contract talks - but ultimately he will do what it takes to ensure Cousins sticks around.

The Redskins didn't manage to go on a playoff run, but their very presence in the postseason, and the lack of off-field drama that surrounded it, is all the proof the team needs that Cousins is the right man for the job.