KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kirk Cousins was one drop away from an all-time great 72 hours.

Had Josh Doctson been able to hold on to Cousins’ pass to the back of the end zone, Cousins and the Redskins very likely would have upset the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Monday night, three days after Cousins’ wife, Julie, gave birth to the couple’s first child, a son named Cooper.

But the ball fell from Doctson’s grasp as he hit the grass, and the Redskins wound up losing 29-20 following a Chiefs’ field goal and returned fumble in the final eight seconds of the game. It made for a disappointing ending to what had been a very memorable week.

“In this league, the 16-game season is a grind and it’s not for the faint of heart,” Cousins said. “You’ve got to be physically, emotionally and mentally tough. Nobody feels sorry for you if you aren’t. You just try to stay the course and be really tough-minded and whatever gets thrown at you, take it in stride.”

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Cousins missed Redskins’ practice on Friday while Julie was in labor with the 9-pound, 11-ounce baby, who arrived 11 days after his due date. A cross-country flight after a night-game loss is never fun, but Cousins could at least take solace that he was heading home to start life as a family of three. The Redskins are off next week, giving Cousins extra time to spend with his new son.

“I feel very blessed, very fortunate to be in the position I am in for so many different reasons,” Cousins said.

Cousins completed 14-of-24 throws for 220 yards with two touchdowns in the loss to Kansas City. He was also the Redskins’ leading rusher with 38 yards on seven scrambles, including two runs for first downs on the Redskins’ final possession that came up one completion short.

Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @bylindsayhjones.