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Redskins: 3 duds from the team’s Week 2 loss to the Colts

By Jacob Camenker

LANDOVER, MD - SEPTEMBER 16: Quarterback Alex Smith #11 of the Washington Redskins is sacked by defensive end Jihad Ward #51 of the Indianapolis Colts during the fourth quarter at FedExField on September 16, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - SEPTEMBER 16: Quarterback Alex Smith #11 of the Washington Redskins is sacked by defensive end Jihad Ward #51 of the Indianapolis Colts during the fourth quarter at FedExField on September 16, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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LANDOVER, MD – AUGUST 24: Running back Adrian Peterson #26 of the Washington Redskins rushes past linebacker Von Miller #58 of the Denver Broncos in the first quarter during a preseason game at FedExField on August 24, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – AUGUST 24: Running back Adrian Peterson #26 of the Washington Redskins rushes past linebacker Von Miller #58 of the Denver Broncos in the first quarter during a preseason game at FedExField on August 24, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

3. RB Adrian Peterson

A week after being a spark for the Redskins, Peterson was a complete dud for the team. He struggled to find running room and did little to help the team establish any sort of presence on the ground.

During the contest, Peterson carried the ball 11 times and only was able to manage a measly 20 yards, good for 1.8 yards per carry. It wasn’t entirely his fault, as he didn’t have as much running room in Week 2, but it’s still notable that he struggled so much.

Peterson just didn’t demonstrate the same burst that he had against the Cardinals. Perhaps it was because he really had trouble finding the virtually non-existent holes in the team’s line. However, at the same time, it appeared that he just wasn’t as fresh as he was in the first week. And that could be an indictment of the team’s decision to hand him 26 carries despite his strong performance in that contest.

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What I saw in this outing was that Peterson needs to be able to split carries with another player in order to stay fresher and continue to have solid burst throughout the game. Of course, Jay Gruden was planning on doing that, but Rob Kelley got hurt early in the contest. Moving forward, Kelley should see some more action just to help keep AP ready to contribute throughout the whole game. Or, better yet, Samaje Perine could be called upon to create a strong one-two punch with Peterson.

Peterson wasn’t awful in this game. But given that he allowed the team to run a ball-control oriented offense in Week 1 and couldn’t come close to doing the same in Week 2 (against a weaker defense) was disappointing. He’s bound to be inconsistent this year because of his advanced age, but I would have expected him to perform better against the Colts.

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