Redskins defense flops in 31-21 loss to Cowboys in home opener

The Washington Redskins got off to a good start against the Dallas Cowboys, but it quickly turned into a nightmare for them following the first quarter.

The Washington Redskins were able to stick with the Dallas Cowboys for most of the first quarter and once again jumped out to a lead over a divisional rival. However, for the second straight week, the team blew a lead and really looked bad in the second half. And neither their defense nor offense played particularly well this week.

In the first quarter, the Washington Redskins defense played very well. They limited Dak Prescott and the Cowboys to barely any yardage while affording their offense an opportunity to get ahead. After that, things quickly became a nightmare.

It all started when Josh Norman was beaten for a long touchdown by Devin Smith. Norman struggled to stay with Smith and didn’t seem to know exactly where he was supposed to be on defense. That happened on a couple of different occasions and he was lucky not to have been beaten by Michael Gallup as well.

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For most of the second half, Prescott was able to move the ball effortlessly on the Redskins secondary. There was no resistance from the unit. Montae Nicholson was banged up while the absences of Fabian Moreau and Quinton Dunbar started to show up a bit more. Jimmy Moreland and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie simply had trouble containing the Dallas offense and the unit didn’t play well.

Greg Manusky didn’t call a very good game and it looked like his defense just didn’t have any energy. That will need to change moving forward. Manusky is on the hot seat and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the team move on from him if they can’t improve in the next few weeks.

On the offensive side of the ball, this wasn’t a great day either. Adrian Peterson (10 carries, 25 yards) was decent and while he didn’t rip off any big plays, he helped the team stay in front of the chains early on. The team gave up on the run too early which was part of the reason that he didn’t have great stats. But he still was fine and could’ve done better with more touches.

The passing attack wasn’t nearly as potent. Case Keenum had a merely mediocre outing in this contest completing 26-of-37 passes and throwing for 221 yards and two touchdowns. He missed far too many throws in the contest, including a key one when the Redskins were down 24-14. On fourth and three, Keenum had Chris Thompson open for a first down and simply misfired. That really put the nail in the coffin as the Redskins defense had been struggling to stop the Cowboys for the whole second half. Not converting there made the lead feel insurmountable with about 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Additionally, the team struggled to block. The left side of the line was expected to be a problem for the team, but Morgan Moses has been dreadful to start the year at right tackle. He may be banged up, but if he can’t improve, the offense will have a lot of trouble moving the ball.

The biggest bright spot on offense was Terry McLaurin. He looked really good once again and made some plays in the second half. He has the makings of a No. 1 wideout given what he’s been able to do to start his NFL career.

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Overall, this was a struggle for the Redskins. Moving forward, they have to be better and the coaching staff in particular needs to step up. The offensive staff had a nice gameplan out of the gate, but after the first 15 plays, they struggled badly. If the team as a whole can’t improve, it will be a long, long year for the Redskins faithful.

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