Redskins studs and duds from Week 5 loss to the Patriots

Stud No. 2 – FS Montae Nicholson

Montae Nicholson makes the “stud” list for the second game of the 2019 season with his performance on Sunday. It wasn’t necessarily a four-quarter performance, as the entire defense faded in the second half, but Nicholson was once again opportunistic, stopping a promising Patriots drive, and giving the offense a chance to compete.

The Patriots were in the red zone, up 9-7 on the Redskins in the second quarter. They were knocking on the door to score a touchdown, and someone needed to make a play. That someone turned out to be Nicholson. Respondent to pressure from a jailbreak on Washington’s defensive line, Tom Brady threw up an ill-advised pass to James White, who was streaking to the end zone on a wheel route.

Nicholson, on the play, does a great job of reading Brady’s eyes and reacting quickly, switching on the backpedal and flipping his hips to run in stride with White. He uses his size to box out White from the ball, and from there, it’s an easy pop fly for Nicholson to catch. It was a complete defensive play, but without Nicholson’s awareness and closing speed, it could have been a touchdown.

On top of his pick, Nicholson logged five takedowns and a couple of pass deflections. Nicholson is now tied for the team lead with two interceptions through five games, and he’s been one of the better players on a very up-and-down defensive unit, with solid tackling and ball skills. He’s just one hint of promising young talent, on a unit that has been drastically underachieving this year.