Redskins: Week 6 goals for Washington after coaching change

LANDOVER, MARYLAND - OCTOBER 06: Montae Nicholson #35 of the Washington Redskins celebrates his interception against the New England Patriots during the second quarter in the game at FedExField on October 06, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MARYLAND - OCTOBER 06: Montae Nicholson #35 of the Washington Redskins celebrates his interception against the New England Patriots during the second quarter in the game at FedExField on October 06, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /
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LANDOVER, MARYLAND – OCTOBER 06: Montae Nicholson #35 of the Washington Redskins celebrates his interception against the New England Patriots during the second quarter in the game at FedExField on October 06, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MARYLAND – OCTOBER 06: Montae Nicholson #35 of the Washington Redskins celebrates his interception against the New England Patriots during the second quarter in the game at FedExField on October 06, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /

Goal No. 4 – Maintain pressure and high-quality defensive play from first half of Week 5

Believe it or not, for two quarters, the Redskins defense was playing high-quality football against the New England Patriots. The quality of play faded down the stretch, as the offense failed to gain consistency. But for a small pocket of time, we saw the potential that the Redskins defense possessed.

The unit wasn’t dominant, but it held the Patriots to 12 points in two quarters. The front seven generated consistent pressure, the linebackers were solid in run support, and the defensive backs were opportunistic, working in sync with the edge pressure.

Against the Dolphins, the Redskins defense should strive for that high-quality precedent. It should be easier to attain, against a Dolphins squad that’s at almost the opposite end of the spectrum from the Patriots. Washington’s defense was supposed to be the team’s crown jewel in 2019. For the first four weeks, they were a league-worst unit. But there’s still time for them to catch on.