Three takeaways from the Redskins’ 33-7 loss vs. Patriots
1. Redskins defense demonstrated upside but struggled in second half
The Redskins defense was expected to be a strength for the team this season. That hadn’t been the case in the first four games of the season. But against the Patriots, they were much better than expected.
In the first half, the Redskins held the Patriots to only 12 points. Three of those points came after being put in a terrible position at the end of the half. The defensive line was able to get a lot of pressure on Tom Brady. And the team was also able to tackle well near the sticks and forced the Patriots into numerous fourth-and-short situations.
The Redskins showed off the ceiling of their defense. Granted, the Patriots offense hasn’t been very good to start the season, but that first half showed that the Redskins could hang with one of the best quarterbacks of all-time. Things didn’t go as well for them in the second half, but part of that was due to the fact that they were on the field a lot as their offense couldn’t stay on the field.
The Redskins still have work to do on the defensive side of the ball. They did some nice things, like using some different formations (seven defensive backs, a lot of three-man pass rushes with eight men in coverage) and got production out of players at every level of their defense. But it wasn’t all positive — especially in the second half when they tired out and had some bad blown coverages.
Was it better than early season games? Yes. Did it demonstrate their upside? Yes. Do they still have a lot of work to do on the defensive side of the ball? Absolutely.
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Perhaps with better coaching, the Redskins defense will be able to be a strong unit at some point in the near future. But until they get that change, which Jay Gruden seems unwilling to make, they will continue to be inconsistent despite the talent that they have.