The Washington Redskins were a massive disappointment in their third preseason game against the Denver Broncos. Still, there were a couple of positive standouts from this game and they deserve to be recognized.
It wasn’t pretty. In fact, it was ugly. The Redskins came out completely flat in the third preseason game. Sure, you can blame the fact that the offense was missing key skill players so they elected to run a “vanilla” system. You can write this off as a preseason game and as a growing pain for the squad. No matter how you spin it, the showing from the Redskins was poor and they executed poor fundamentals and a lack of drive throughout most of the evening. And preseason or not, that’s a bad thing.
On the defensive side of the ball, the starters and backups looked helpless and allowed numerous big gains to the Broncos early on. A particularly ugly play came on a 27-yard end around to Emmanuel Sanders that resulted in a touchdown, and no Redskins players were able to bring him down. Only Troy Apke had a chance, and he was unable to do it.
That play was emblematic of the Redskins day. Sloppy, lacking fundamentals, and generally hard to watch. It’s quite possible, if not probable, that this will be their worst performance of the season, and there were certainly a lot of duds in this game.
Still, there were some silver linings as well. We couldn’t quite find five players who stood out, but there were a few players, all on the offensive side of the ball, who showed that they had some fire and could be assets for the Redskins organization. Without further ado, here’s a look at three positives from a mostly negative game.
3. QB Kevin Hogan
Yes, the third-string quarterback was the team’s third-biggest standout. That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement of how this game went for the Redskins.
When Hogan entered the game, Washington was already down big, but he was able to lead two touchdown drives. That’s something that neither Alex Smith nor Colt McCoy could do tonight. And yes, Hogan was battling third stringers, but given how he’s looked this offseason against third stringers, he performed at a much higher level.
One of Hogan’s best throws came on a touchdown pass to Simmie Cobbs. Hogan was given time in the pocket, saw Cobbs open, and threw the ball to him in perfect rhythm. The ball hit Cobbs square in the hands and in stride and it truly was an excellent throw.
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Hogan would later record another garbage time touchdown, this one to Darvin Kidsy, and he ultimately finished the game 7-of-9 for 88 yards and tacked on the two scores.
With this performance, Hogan put some quality tape out there for NFL teams that may be interested in adding a third string player at QB or a practice squader. And he didn’t completely erase himself from the narrative in Washington, as they may consider him worthy of a practice squad spot after a decent performance.
Either way, Hogan played well and deserves recognition for it. I’ve been hard on him this preseason, but he did step it up in this preseason affair. We’ll have to see if he can do the same in preseason Week 4, as he seems highly likely to take the reigns as the starter in the contest, much like Nate Sudfeld did last season for the Skins.
2. TE J.P. Holtz
Holtz is starting to gain some steam as he battles for a roster spot. He may not have put up numbers as many fans hope to see from standouts, but he played a very important role as a lead blocker.
On the first run of the game, Holtz started as the fullback in the I-formation and had a key block on the seven-yard run. It wasn’t a perfect block by any means, but Holtz was able to momentarily stalemate his opponent and that did enough to let the back hit the hole. Holtz is looking like a very good blocker, and this is the second consecutive week in which he made a solid play.
I recently spoke of Holtz as a potential roster dark horse and said the following of his showing in the second preseason game and chances of making the team.
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"If the team was willing to keep four tight ends, Holtz could be kept as a blocking tight end and fullback. He had an excellent block on Samaje Perine‘s 30-yard run from the second preseason game which you can see here, so he flashed potential. Holtz wouldn’t see a lot of action, but given what he showed in limited action last week, there certainly is the potential for him to find a role with this Redskins squad."
The Redskins may want a fullback for the first time in a while. While Jay Gruden seems unlikely to ever roster a pure fullback, Holtz could be the type of solid blocker and combination player the team needs to have at least a little success in the running game. At the very least, he’s a capable replacement for another former Pittsburgh TE, Manasseh Garner, on the practice squad.
1. RB Adrian Peterson
There was never any doubt about who was the top standout in this game. It was Peterson. Needing to prove himself as a viable option in order to make the Redskins roster, Peterson was able to do just that.
On the day, Peterson rumbled for 56 yards on 11 carries and showed flashes on the AP of old on some plays. He had two particularly nice runs, the first of which came on the opening play of the game where he ran for seven yards and managed to hit the hole, bounce off contact, and show excellent balance. The second when came after he bounced a fourth-and-inches outside and beat the Denver defensive line, then proceeded to make a cutback to turn it into a 15-yard game.
Peterson definitely showed enough to be a legitimate part of the running back rotation, but the Redskins will have to keep him fresh early in the season, so don’t expect him to tote the rock 20-plus times a game often. The Redskins backfield is shaping up to be a true committee approach, and it seems that Peterson, Chris Thompson, and Samaje Perine/Rob Kelley will all have chances to carry the ball on game days.
While Peterson was excellent in this game, he still has to continue to prove himself to start the regular season. He has the talent needed to be a solid performer, and now he just needs to continue to be consistent and hold onto the ball. If he can do that, there’s a chance he could be an upgrade. If he’s not an upgrade as a starter, he and Perine may end up being similar players and a solid backfield sharing tandem this season.