Mondays during football season can either be the best days in the world, or the worst. Unfortunately for Redskins Nation, it is definitely the latter. The team is on a 2 game skid and have found themselves not only 0-2 in the league, but they are 0-2 in the NFC, as well as the NFC EAST. Aside from the Dolphins and Giants, the Redskins definitely have found themselves at the bottom of the barrel. The Redskins Week 2 opponent brought long time rival, the Dallas Cowboys to town. As the record suggests, the game did not go the Redskins had hoped. This loss is amplified by all the swirling controversy surrounding the team. Nevertheless, the game was not all bad. It’s report card time.
Offense: C
The offense has been playing better than expected. At the beginning of the season there were several uncertainties with the offense. Questions like who will start at quarterback, who will start at running back, unproven reciever talent, and the likes. Keenum, through whatever circumstances, got the job and has done well. Cashing in a 221 passing yards with 2 touchdowns, for the second week has had an above 100 quarterback ranking. The receivers have also cashed in on Keenum’s performance:
- McLaurin 5 catches for 68 yards and another touchdown
- Thompson had 5 catches for 48 yards
- Quinn had 4 catches for 36 yards
Where the offense is struggling is the run game. There are several factors (or theories) that go into the running game being ineffective, but it needs to be corrected if the hope to score more.
Defense: D
The strong point of last season is now the weak point. Washington’s defense is all over the place and not in a good way. The only bright spot was Nicholson’s interception and Kerrigan’s first sack of the year. Other than those two things, the offense may as well have been off the field.
From the second quarter on, the seemed to have checked out. Kerrigan and Sweat again just could not create pressure which gave Prescott all the time in the world. The same can be said about Ioannidis and Payne; there was just no pressure (as if Allen being absent makes the Alabama Wall useless). Moving on to the linebackers and the secondary, again, there was nothing. Norman naturally will draw a lot of fire from fans when expectations are not met, and rightfully so due to the huge contract he is signed to. However, the team collectively, and the coordination was horrendous. One minute they are getting burned on deep passes, next they line up 10 yards off the line and get picked apart inside. Oh, and never forget, Prescott rushed for 69 yards, averaging 13.8 yards a carry (+44 yards and +11.3 average more than the leading rusher for the Skins).
Coaching: D
Adjustments, adjustments, adjustments. This is the word people love to scream when things go wrong. The word i would suggest instead would be “decisions.” It is no secret that time management has been an issue for a while now. Now, decisions everywhere are hurting the team. Part of the reason the running game suffered was due to formation and scheming. The correct personell was not used to provide an effective run play unless it was on the outside of the zone. This does not play into the strength of the team currently.
The defense was all over the place as earlier stated. There was no consistency and a lot of blown coverages. Though that may be on the players themselves, the coaching is what prepares them. Also, they line up according to the scheming of which the coordinator calls. A lot of those calls result in a decent gain for the opposing team.
Overall Performance: D
Without factoring in the loss, this was a terrible performance turned in by the Burgandy and Gold. The team looked flat and uninspired despite playing a big time rival. The loss is only superceded by the looming controversies. Looking ahead to the Bears and Giants, the team has a lot of hard preparation ahead of them. Players, coaches, and fans alike need to rally together to avoid an 0-4 start to the season.
