After a second straight week in which he threw two interceptions in a loss, it'd be easy for Kirk Cousins to get down on himself -- but he won't.

Even in hard times and situations that go against him, Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins knows he needs to remain confident.

Sunday's game against the New York Jets provided some of those moments, as he threw two interceptions in a difficult third quarter for the Redskins that would swing momentum away from them.

"If I start to doubt [my ability], then I'm not going to ever be able to get to the level I want to go," Cousins said after the game. "I just have to keep going and learn from the mistakes. The key is to identify what's the issue and get it corrected. The more I play, the more I learn. If I start to question or doubt, I might as well throw in the towel. I have to stay positive and keep working and keep believing."

The Redskins entered the second half up 13-10, highlighted by a two-yard touchdown grab by Pierre Garçon in the second quarter.

Garçon would use a quick step to get inside of Darrelle Revis for the score.

But that would be the only offensive touchdown the Redskins would get on the afternoon.

On the Redskins' first possession of the third quarter, on 2nd-and-8 from their own 23-yard line, Cousins dropped back, trying to read the defense and see if any receivers were open for him.

Finding nothing downfield, Cousins looked to his left, seeing Ryan Grant near the sideline.

But instead of hitting the second-year Tulane product, Cousins underthrew him, and Revis was right there, able to get his third interception of the season.

"I felt like my options to the right were covered and I thought to run it," Cousins said. "I didn't feel like I had a window to run it and essentially I need to just throw it away. I need to just put it in the bleachers and put it over Ryan Grant's head. That's something that was disappointing."

Redskins head coach Jay Gruden said "that was a tough play."

"He looked to the right side initially and they clamped it down," Gruden said. "It was just a basic stick route with our number two and number three receivers and I think they both were covered. ..That's tough. He's not the only quarterback in history that's made a poor decision or a poor throw and it won't be the last time he does it. He's a young quarterback and he'll learn from it. We all will."

Later in the quarter, with the Redskins trailing 27-13, Cousins tried to connect with Jamison Crowder on a deep pass that Marcus Gilchrist was able to read for a pick.

"I felt like we needed a shot play to get back in the game," Cousins said. "I felt like we needed to take something and try to put one out there. Obviously, we didn't like the results. That was one where earlier in the game or when you're in a tighter game, you'd never force it down the field like that, but in the situation, I started to feel like maybe I needed to push it down the field more and see if we could get a spark."

As the Redskins prepare for a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team coming off their Bye Week on Sunday at FedExField, Cousins said improving on his "situational awareness" will be key.

"When you look at the first interception, it was 2nd-and-8, backed up in our own territory," Cousins said. "You can play conservatively and throw the ball out of bounds. I think there's a level of maybe I'm trying to find a completion as many times as I possibly can, where the better option is to not try to find a completion if you don't see one and find an incompletion out of bounds. Situational awareness would be the answer to your question. That comes with time. That comes with playing and experience. It's something I do believe I will improve upon and can improve upon."

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