With one quarter of the 2019 regular season in the books, the Redskins are one of seven teams to remain winless, and one of three teams to be 0-4.
In each of the Washington Redskins four losses in 2019, the margin of victory has increased for the opposition. In Week 1, the Eagles outscored Washington 25-7 in the second half, to win by five. In Week 2, the Cowboys dominated and won by 10, courtesy of a couple garbage time touchdowns for D.C. In Week 3, under the lights, the Redskins lost by 16. And in Week 4, against the now 2-2 Giants, Washington lost by 21.
Change is what the Redskins need, but are they going to get it? That remains to be seen. For now, let’s take a closer look at the latest game on the Redskins slate, and see who the studs and duds were in the 24-3 loss to the New York Giants. Yes, there were actually studs.
Stud No. 1 – CB Quinton Dunbar
In his first fully healthy game of the 2019 season, Quinton Dunbar reminded the Redskins why he’s their best cornerback, by a considerable margin.
It took a moment for the opportunities to come to Dunbar, but when they did, he took advantage. Dunbar shut the door on another efficient Daniel Jones performance, first reading a lofted pass and picking that off, then logging another interception on the next drive with sticky coverage and an impressive diving play. Overall, he had four plays on the ball; two interceptions, and two pass deflections.
Dunbar’s two interceptions would end up being essentially wasted by the offense, as the unit was only able to gather three points from the turnovers. But Dunbar gave the team an opportunity to come back against the Giants, and he was a very rare bright spot for the Redskins in Week 4.
An article was written recently on how cornerback is one of the Redskins bigger needs in the 2020 NFL Draft, but Dunbar, if he can stay healthy, doesn’t need to go anywhere. He has the talent to be a solid starter, and when he’s at full health, he makes plays. It’s just a matter of getting healthy and staying healthy. But when Dunbar’s ready, good things happen.
Dud No. 1 – QB Case Keenum
The day of Case Keenum‘s benching came sooner than most would have expected. Against the Giants, Keenum went 6 of 11, for 37 yards and an interception in the first half. He was unable to move the offense, and after Quinton Dunbar’s first pick, Jay Gruden threw Dwayne Haskins in.
Keenum wouldn’t see the field for the rest of the outing, and it’s unclear if he’ll see the field again for the burgundy and gold. There’s a number of things the Redskins could do at this point. They could stick with Haskins, and better prepare him for the coming weeks. They could go to Colt McCoy, which seems possible if Jay Gruden stays past this week.
But Keenum’s time as starter, at the very least, is delayed. Gruden mentioned in last night’s press conference that Keenum’s foot looked like it was bothering him against New York, but Keenum said he was surprised by the benching, implying he didn’t see a need for the move. Keenum didn’t seem as spry in the pocket, and he took a number of bad sacks because he wouldn’t throw the ball away. He also missed a couple wide open throws to Trey Quinn downfield, killing chances for the offense.
In two weeks, after starting on a solid pace, Keenum has turned the ball over six times, and he struggled to move an admittedly short-staffed offense against one of the worst statistical defenses in the NFL. It’s looking more and more likely that Keenum will be relegated to the backup role he’s become comfortable with over the years.
Stud No. 2 – DL Tim Settle
The second stud of the day also comes from the defensive unit. It’s not the starting nose tackle, or the top two defensive linemen on the roster. Instead, it’s Tim Settle who made numerous plays, with the intent of helping his team win.
In the end, Settle’s team didn’t win; they didn’t even get close. But Settle put forth one-hundred percent effort, and he was a legitimate game changer in Sunday’s loss. Two plays in particular stood out for the Virginia Tech product.
On his first notable play, Settle got pressure on Daniel Jones, crushing the rookie as he threw the ball. The pressure forced Jones to make a risky pass, which Quinton Dunbar snagged, giving the offense the ball back. On the second play, Settle closed the door on a long Giants drive, forcing a fumble on the goal line, which Montae Nicholson recovered.
His efforts were in vain this time around, but Settle’s performance gave the Redskins offense opportunities. In the coming weeks, Settle, who has slimmed down and allowed his athleticism to shine through, should get more rotational reps with the interior defensive line.
Dud No. 2 – QB Dwayne Haskins
Dwayne Haskins doesn’t escape the dud list, either. Both quarterbacks managed to perform in line with this title, although the situation didn’t give Haskins any favors.
Haskins came into the game in the second quarter and didn’t look comfortable for most of the game. Taking play calls from Kevin O’Connell, he was able to move the football more effectively than Keenum, and he appeared more mobile in this game. But that was where the positives started to fade for Haskins.
Haskins ended his day with nine completions on 17 pass attempts, 107 passing yards, and three interceptions. It’s worth noting that one interception was on a pretty seam ball that Vernon Davis dropped, and another was on a 50-50 ball to Paul Richardson, which Janoris Jenkins muscled away from the receiver. It’s not as if Haskins was passing to the defense all day. But he took chances, and was introduced to the risks of those chances on multiple occasions.
Haskins’ mind was likely spinning; the Redskins didn’t make it easy for him by thrusting him into the middle of a game for which he’d taken few first-team reps in the previous week. But Haskins didn’t look as sharp as his best preseason moments painted him. He held the ball in the pocket often, took a few sacks, and didn’t always see routes down the field.
Now that the team has switched to Haskins, however, sticking with him might be the best call. This way, they can get him experience, and prepare him better each week, so that he carries more confidence into each matchup, and they can avoid the potential negative consequences of benching a rookie quarterback, in terms of confidence lost. Haskins should keep playing, but he wasn’t supposed to play on Sunday, and it showed.
Stud No. 3 – P Tress Way
This is when you know we’re scraping the bottom of the barrel.
All things considered, Tress Way deserves recognition for the performance he had on Sunday. He was one of the NFL’s best punters in 2018, and he’s off to another fast start in 2019. Against the Giants, he had six punts for 319 yards, averaging 53.2 yards per punt, and he downed three of those punts inside the twenty-yard line.
Three of six punts inside the twenty. It doesn’t get much better than that. That’s precision at its most precise. As much as the Redskins offense liked to give the ball back to the Giants, Way was going to make sure he didn’t make it easy for Daniel Jones and company.
No matter how bad it gets, remember this. If the Redskins lose 77-0 to New England, and lose 34-14 to the Dolphins, just remember this. The Redskins have the best punter in the NFL. Go ahead and celebrate.
Dud No. 3 – CB Fabian Moreau
While one cornerback showed out for his squad, another wasn’t so sharp. Fabian Moreau came back into the lineup after missing last week with a knee injury, and he did not perform well against an uninspiring Giants receiving core.
Daniel Jones targeted Moreau numerous times, and when he didn’t allow a catch to his man, he was flagged several times for defensive holding. It was a startling display of lacking awareness from Moreau, who’s been in the league for three years, and was supposed to be more detail-oriented with defensive backs coach Ray Horton.
This is a year in which the Redskins need to decide if Moreau is going to be a part of their future on defense or not. He has the traits, with his speed and strength, but Sunday showed that he still hasn’t developed to the desired level. Can he rebound next week, against New England, or will he instead be exposed again?
Dud No. 4 – Jay Gruden
Jay Gruden woke up with his job today. But if it were a matter of performance, he should’ve picked up an offensive coordinator job somewhere else a long time ago.
Gruden has been a dud all four weeks so far this year. Each week, aside from the first half of Week 1, his team has looked unprepared, unpolished, and outmatched against the opposition. By now, the players have likely started giving up on Gruden, and it’s clear that the coaching staff isn’t getting the best out of its players. Talent is being wasted under Gruden’s watch, and yet, nothing is changing.
If the front office actually had a plan, then Gruden would’ve been gone before the season. If they wanted to enact a plan, he’d be gone now. But the front office likely wants to avoid the bad press of a midseason firing, which is why Gruden, a defeated man coaching a defeated team, might not lose his job during the season after all.
If that’s the case, get used to seeing him on this final slide. Because things won’t get any better until he’s gone. From a human perspective, it’s hard not to feel sorry for Gruden; he never had it easy in D.C., with the front office structure above him. He seems drained, and lost in his role. But at the same time, his performance has been lackluster, and in a merit-based business, he’s past due to be parted with.