Redskins Halftime Takeaways: Team rallies late to stay in the game
By Ian Cummings
The Bad:
The Redskins started out the game about as badly as they could have. Kirk Cousins looked, once again, off target in the pocket, and after a short punt, the Eagles converted on a long touchdown pass. There was absolutely everything in the opening tackles. Dropped interceptions by Eagles’ defenders, missed tackles by Redskins’ defenders. This team seems to be unable and unwilling to start games strong.
The offensive line’s troubling showing in preseason apparently wasn’t a misleading fluke. They picked up where they left off today, repeatedly letting defenders by on the edge. Cousins wasn’t good, but the offensive line wasn’t giving him any favors at all. One play in particular stands out: A blown assignment by Morgan Moses that resulted in a strip sack on Cousins, giving the Eagles great field position. This team speaks of themselves like contenders, but they are nothing of the sort.
On both sides of the ball, third downs are a problem. The offense sees too many third downs, and they convert too few. Meanwhile, the defense often manages to hold the offense to a third down, but too often, they let the opposition convert. These are dangerous trends that need to change.
Did I mention a muffed punt earlier? Yes, I did. We can talk about the punt in detail, and Jamison Crowder’s mishap, but the fact of the matter is this. The Redskins just look sloppy. Plain and simple. The muffed punt is an easy-to-recognize example, but it’s a pervasive issue on a substantial amount of plays. The Redskins’ players too often make easy mistakes.
Next: Redskins Live Game Blog: Week 1 vs. Eagles
It wasn’t a perfect first half, but the Redskins are still well within their margin of error. They’re down 16-14 at the break, and there’s still plenty of football yet to be played. The action is far from over, so be sure to follow along with our Live Game Blog through the third and fourth quarters.