Thursday 27 November 2014 17:08, UK
Colt McCoy will start at quarterback for the Washington Redskins against Indianapolis on Sunday, head coach Jay Gruden has confirmed.
McCoy has played twice this season, making one start, with both games ending in Washington victories.
"The reports are accurate: Colt is going to start this week at quarterback,” said Gruden.
“We're going to play Colt. He's done some good things in his time as a starter. I felt like he deserved a bit of a promotion."
McCoy, who signed with the Redskins in April, came on to replace Kirk Cousins in the second half of the Redskins’ victory over the Tennessee Titans and his first pass saw a 70-yard touchdown to Pierre Garcon.
The 28-year-old went on to complete 11 of his 12 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown as his team registered a 19-17 win.
McCoy started the next game against Dallas Cowboys and rose to the occasion, completing 25 of his 30 passes for 299 yards and adding a crucial seven-yard touchdown late in a game the Redskins won 20-17.
“I felt like as the half went on, we got better and better and I started trusting everyone more and more,” McCoy said.
“I’ll take a ton of the blame early in the game. I’m just thankful that we stuck with it and our offense kept plugging away and we made big plays at the end of the game.”
Robert Griffin III will be the Redskins' second-choice quarterback against the Colts, relegating Cousins to third-choice.
Meanwhile, the Houston Texans have placed quarterback Ryan Mallett on injured reserve, meaning Ryan Fitzpatrick will start on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.