Redskins Recap: Terrific defense gift-wraps an early Christmas present for fans
The Washington Redskins have officially won two games in a row. They beat the Denver Broncos to improve to 7-8.
Things didn’t start well for the Redskins on Sunday afternoon. Their offense wasn’t great and the Broncos looked like they had the advantage early. However, as the game went along, the Redskins got better and better before pulling away to emerge victorious by a final score of 27-10.
The Redskins really need to thank their defense for the performance they put on Sunday. Early on, the offense sputtered badly. But as time went on, they improved and the defense remained steady. The Redskins were able to consistently pressure Brock Osweiler and Ryan Kerrigan was predictably terrific. He abused Donald Stephenson and Garret Bolles and was credited with two sacks.
In the secondary, the Redskins generally help up very well. The unit allowed some big completions at times, but generally they limited the Broncos receivers. D.J. Swearinger had a key interception before halftime to preserve the Redskins lead on a late potential scoring drive by Denver.
Kirk Cousins had a very hot and cold performance. Cousins started the game very slowly, completing just 1-of-8 passes for six yards in the early going. As the game went along, he improved but still made some questionable decisions. Notably, he had a horrible interception in the end zone that saw him try to force a throw into double coverage. The worst part about it is that he was targeting Josh Doctson, who had already dropped one touchdown on a terrific throw into a tight window in the first half.
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Overall, Cousins finished 19-of-37 for 299 yards, three touchdowns, and the interception. On some drives, he looked like a franchise quarterback. But often, he looked like an average quarterback at best. He had a couple of nice touchdowns, but they were relatively easy throws to wide open receivers. The Redskins have to be cautious to avoid overpaying him this offseason solely due to his lack of consistency this season.
Speaking of Doctson and the receivers, it was actually a solid day for the group. Not Doctson though. Doctson continued to drop key passes and really needs a lot of work before he can even be considered a No. 2 receiver. However, Doctson did have a 48-yard touchdown that saw the Broncos bust a coverage and leave him wide open. That padded his stats, but know it was merely a mediocre day for him.
The Redskins got very strong play out of Ryan Grant. Grant was the first Redskins receiver to really get things going on Sunday as he caught a few big passes over the middle of the field. Grant is a great route runner and he finished the day with 85 yards on four catches. The Redskins need to consider re-signing him this offseason.
Elsewhere, Jamison Crowder had a beautiful touchdown catch that saw him run a perfect route out of the slot and work into the end zone. That is his best position in the NFL and he should continue to improve as the Redskins upgrade the weapons around him.
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Overall, this was a big win for the Redskins. They beat a tough opponent and got a convincing performance out of their defense. Jay Gruden’s job is looking safer by the day and this victory will do a lot to help him.