The Washington Redskins weren’t able to beat the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1 of the 2019 NFL season. Here are the studs and duds from their loss.
At halftime, it looked like the Redskins were going to have a shot at pulling off the improbable. They were taking a 20-7 lead into the locker room and their offense had looked excellent. Their defense had contained the Eagles top stars for the most part, and it looked like the squad was ready to make a statement win.
However, that never happened. In the second half, the Eagles score 25 unanswered points to overtake the Redskins and never looked back. The Eagles would go on to win 32-27 and start out the season 1-0.
While the Redskins fell to 0-1, there were still some encouraging performances in this contest. Of course, any time a team blows a 17-point lead and loses, there are also some disappointing elements in any game. But, at any rate, in a game that few thought they should win, the Redskins held their own and proved that they could play. So, that is a positive.
Here’s a more in-depth look at the specific positives and negatives for the team from the game. Here are the top studs and duds for the Redskisn from their Week loss to the Eagles.
Stud: QB Case Keenum
Many expected that Case Keenum would be a solid veteran option for the Redskins. Many assumed that he would be able to keep the team afloat and win some games against mid-level teams.
But Keenum proved to be much more than that in the preseason opener.
Keenum was the best player on the Washington offense for most of the game. He threw the ball very well, showcasing an ability to throw on the run, adjust his arm angle to make different types of throws, and complete the deep ball.
The lattermost point was the most impressive given that the area wasn’t his strong suit last season. And while he did miss by a potential deep score to Terry McLaurin, as he admitted in a postgame press conference, he still connected on enough to prove that he can make the plays downfield. And that’s all that the team will need to keep opposing defenses honest.
All told, Keenum completed 30-of-44 passes for 380 yards and three touchdowns. He only suffered one sack and didn’t turn the ball over. Essentially, he provided the same impact that Alex Smith did last year, but with more downfield ability. He was a big part of the reason that the team was able to jump out to a lead. And if he can continue to play that way, the Redskins should have a chance to win some games in the near future.
Dud: HC Jay Gruden
Though the Redskins offense looked very good in the first half, Jay Gruden still deserves a good chunk of the blame for how this one shook out. After all, his squad did blow a 17-point lead and a golden chance for him to slow down the chatter that is currently surrounding his hot seat.
But it wasn’t just the result of the game. It was about the way that the Redskins lost. They looked so good out of the gate. They held a 20-7 halftime lead. Yet they let that slip away almost immediately and weren’t able to gain any momentum coming out of the halftime locker room.
The Redskins simply failed to adjust to the Eagles adjustments. Sure, they were a bit shorthanded by some injuries to their defensive players (notably Jonathan Allen) but there were ways that they could have at least limited the Eagles offense.
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Even worse than that, the offense barely was able to do anything in the second half. After humming along in the first half, they weren’t able to generate any sort of push until a garbage-time fourth-quarter touchdown. The play-calling was uninspired and the team wasn’t able to spark the run game in any way, shape or form. And even if they couldn’t do that, they could’ve at least tried to work the short passing game to jumpstart some drives.
Alas, that didn’t happen. And that’s part of the reason they lost.
Gruden’s on-field coaching isn’t the only area in which he was lacking on Sunday. The decision to make Adrian Peterson a healthy scratch made little sense for the squad. While Peterson doesn’t do much on special teams, he is a team leader and a great backup runner. Having him available to contribute in the running game certainly would’ve been nice given that the run game had a tough time getting going. But instead, he wore street clothes.
This wasn’t the worst game of Gruden’s Redskins tenure by a long shot. But it certainly isn’t one that he’s going to point to on any future coaching resume that he may need.
Stud: WR Terry McLaurin
Remember when many assumed that Josh Doctson would be the starter along with Paul Richardson and Trey Quinn in the Redskins’ receiving corps? Those were fun times. Instead, it was Terry McLaurin. And he was one of the brightest spots of the game for the Redskins.
The third-round rookie from Ohio State emerged as the top option in the team’s passing attack and it looks like he could be a future gem.
McLaurin’s superlative performance was one of my key takeaways in the immediate aftermath of the Redskins game. Here’s what I said about his performance in the contest.
"Beyond his deep speed, McLaurin showed a knack for finding space and creating separation with his quickness near the line of scrimmage. At the very least, he looks like a DeSean Jackson-type clone for the Redskins offense. And at the best, he could continue to develop into a strong receiver and lock down the No. 1 role in Washington. It’s too early to make a firm judgment on what McLaurin can offer. But for the time being, he certainly has done enough to give Redskins fans confidence. Hopefully, the versatile speedster from Ohio State will continue to make strides the more he gets to play and truly emerge as the team’s top receiving threat."
McLaurin caught five passes for 125 yards and a 69-yard touchdown. And, he could’ve had another long score had Case Keenum not misfired on a throw. McLaurin should only get better as time goes along, and he was certainly a standout performance in the opener.
Dud: The running game
For all of the excitement surrounding Derrius Guice, this opening performance wasn’t a great one for him between the tackles.
Of course, his performance in that area doesn’t squarely fall on him. It was more of a group effort.
For most of the afternoon, the Redskins struggled to open up running lanes against the Eagles. In fairness to the team, the Eagles have a great run defense and were one of the best run defenses in the league last year even before adding Malik Jackson in the offseason. But still, their offensive line couldn’t generate much push against them. That led to Guice struggling to find open space to make plays in.
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The biggest disappointment surrounding the performance of the running game was how it put them behind the chains and rendered them a bit one-dimensional. With everything falling on the passing game’s shoulders, the Eagles were able to better prepare to face the Redskins in the second half. And that’s part of why they couldn’t score until late in the fourth quarter when the game had already decided.
Perhaps they could have used Adrian Peterson a bit in this contest just to give the Eagles a different look. It will be interesting to see if Peterson gets a chance to be active for the team’s second game to add more diverse options to the rushing attack.
The running game should have a chance to perform better against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2. But it’s safe to say that their first game of the season was certainly a bit of a dud.
Stud: TE Vernon Davis
No Jordan Reed, no problem. Well, at least for Week 1.
Vernon Davis was the starting tight end for the Redskins against the Eagles. And in the contest, he was very good. He caught four passes for 59 yards and a touchdown. But really, the reason that he makes this list is because of the touchdown grab.
The play that David made to get into the end zone was pretty remarkable. He caught a short pass from Case Keenum, hurdled a defender, spun away from four tacklers, and made his way into the end zone for the score.
Here’s a look at the play itself, courtesy of The Checkdown.
https://twitter.com/thecheckdown/status/1170746854121689089
That’s not a play that many players can make. And seeing a 35-year-old tight end do it is even more impressive.
Davis was a rock-solid as ever for the Redskins and he did all of this just a day after losing his grandfather. His effort truly was excellent and it’s clear that he’s still a receiving weapon for the team moving forward. Even with Reed out with a concussion, the Redskins are in good hands with Davis as the starter at the position.
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.
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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.
Stud: LB Cole Holcomb
One of the rookies that many were looking forward to watching on the defensive side of the ball was Jimmy Moreland. But, another rookie emerged and may have taken his mantle as one of the most exciting rookies to watch.
And that was Cole Holcomb.
Holcomb, the fifth-round pick out of North Carolina, saw quite a bit of action as a member of the Redskins’ base defense. He was on the field a lot and was able to make some splash plays.
Holcomb flashed his excellent athletic ability en route to making 9 tackles and a getting 2.0 tackles for loss. He looked as good as the numbers indicate and his quick, smart, instinctive nature should make him an ideal fit as a middle linebacker in the team’s defense.
Holcomb was always expected to factor into the equation at the running back position. And some even expected that he could have a chance to emerge as a starter down the line. Still, few expected that he would make this type of an impact this quickly. If he can continue to grow moving forward, he may just solidify the Redskins front seven.
Now if only they could figure out their secondary…
Dud: The secondary
Speaking of the secondary, they weren’t great during this contest. And in the second half in particular, the Redskins secondary had some major issues.
As the Eagles were able to establish themselves more against the run, it became easier and easier to pass. This almost always ends up being the case for NFL teams, but for the Redskins, the quality play from the secondary eroded once this happened.
In the second half, the Redskins couldn’t contain DeSean Jackson. Josh Norman had given up a long score to him in the first half, but it was just because he was a step slow. However, after halftime, the ‘Skins had trouble staying with him. Jackson caught a long touchdown pass off an apparent miscommunication between Norman and Montae Nicholson. This allowed the Eagles to quickly strike and get back into the game.
Following that, the Redskins struggled to get quality coverage from their secondary. Jackson was left open on a number of occasions. Norman struggled to keep up with the speedster. Quinton Dunbar took a bad angle on a ball that almost ended up being a touchdown for Zach Ertz. Jimmy Moreland, at times, looked like a rookie.
The team did deal with some injury issues at the position — Dunbar cramped up at one point and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie had to leave the field as well — but it doesn’t explain exactly why they went from having solid coverage skills to being completely unable to stop the Eagles’ aerial attack.
Moving forward, the Redskins are going to need to get better and more consistent play out of their secondary, Dunbar and Norman in particular. The players back there can be effective in their various roles. But the team needs to iron out the communication issues that caused some big plays and make sure that they are better able to contain speed options moving forward.
It’s easier said than done, but if they can’t do it, their defense won’t be as strong as some were hoping it could be. And if that happens, the team could be in the market for some new starting corners to replace Norman and possibly Dunbar in 2020.