Redskins: Studs and duds from the team’s Week 1 loss to the Eagles

Dud: DC Greg Manusky

Any time a defense blows a 17-point lead, the defensive coordinator should get part of the blame. And that rings true of Greg Manusky’s performance for Washington in the second half.

In the first half, the Redskins were able to generate quite a lot of pressure. They played aggressively and were on the attack. Manusky tends to like to do that on defense, so it was encouraging to see they go after Carson Wentz and trust their secondary to get the job done.

However, after halftime, that wasn’t the case.

Washington Commanders

Manusky’s play-calling got a bit conservative for the team. They didn’t attack as much and seemed like they were trying to prevent the Eagles from making big plays and opposed to focusing on stopping them. That allowed the Eagles to run the ball well out of the halftime locker room and mount and long drive to get back into the game.

What happened was that the defense took their foot off the gas. And it’s a bit understandable as to why they might do that for a minute. Jonathan Allen (knee sprain) was out of the game, so perhaps Manusky was just trying to make sure they didn’t overcommit and get burned down the field. But, it lasted too long. They go back to the aggressive style that worked for them in the first half. And once the Eagles got back into the game, the defense broke under the pressure.

If the defense is going to win the Redskins games, Manusky has to stay aggressive. He has to get his pass rush going and send his stellar defensive line to attack and not just slow down opponents. That didn’t happen in the second half and Manusky, like Gruden, deserves to be a dud for his inability to make the adjustments necessary to earn the Redskins a victory.