Redskins Halftime Takeaways: Offenses both trading blows

The Washington Redskins have played well in the first half against the Minnesota Vikings. However, they are trailing 28-17 due to a critical interception.

The Redskins have clearly brought their best effort in their attempts to win their fifth game of the season. In the first half against the Vikings, the team has fought very hard and brought their best offense with them. Aside from a key mistake, they have kept the team in the game.

In the first half, Kirk Cousins has been terrific. Playing with his full offensive line for the first time since the bye week, he has been able to find open receivers downfield consistently. He has more time in the pocket, and that has benefited his receivers. Notably, Jamison Crowder and Maurice Harris have gotten involved on downfield throws and Cousins has hit them with accurate passes. That needs to continue into the second half.

Unfortunately, Cousins did have a critical interception late in the half that led to the Vikings scoring another touchdown. He needs to avoid making those kinds of mistakes moving forward.

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Speaking of Harris, the second year man out of California was called up for this game from the practice squad and he has impressed. Harris was one of the most surprising cuts ahead of the 2017 season, and many were calling for him to activated throughout the year. He hasn’t disappointed. Harris had an unbelievable 36 yard touchdown pass that saw him stretch out and make a one handed catch while touching down in bounds. He looks like a potential receiving threat and should definitely stay on the active roster moving forward.

Unfortunately for the Redskins, their injuries woes have continued in the first half. Rob Kelley went down with what appeared to be a leg injury. Ryan Grant went out with a concussion and he won’t return. The team has to hope that these are not long term injuries, as both Kelley and Grant are key players on the team’s offense.

There was a bright spot for the Redskins in wake of Kelley’s injury. Samaje Perine has looked very good for the team. He has been able to generate consistent yardage on each play, and his vision looks to be greatly improved. If he keeps playing at a high level, the Redskins won’t miss Kelley. However, Perine’s short yardage ability was off and on, so that may be an area that Kelley is missed in.

On defense, the team has not been quite as good. They have surprisingly struggled to contain the duo of Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen. Both have found huge amounts of space in the secondary and have been able to rip off huge chunks of yardage throughout the day. They have combined for seven catches for 162 yards and two touchdowns. Josh Norman and Bashaud Breeland have to step up and cover the duo better, or the Vikings are going to continue to push the ball downfield quickly.

Next: Redskins Saturday Spotlight: WR Felton Davis

Overall, the defense is the big problem spot at the half. If the Redskins can fix that, then they will have a chance to beat the team as they continue to battle the Vikings.

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