Redskins Halftime Takeaways: Landon Collins sets tone on defense
By Ian Cummings
As it turns out, there is an opponent in the NFL that the Redskins can beat. But even the Tank Bowl has proven to be a struggle for Washington.
The Washington Redskins entered their Week 6 matchup as only one half of a winless duel. On the other side were the Miami Dolphins, a team of a similar complexion thus far in the 2019 regular season. The only difference? The Dolphins were trying to tank. The Redskins were trying to win.
In the first half, this difference was noticeable, but even Washington, desperate to earn a win to turn the corner, had trouble separating from the lowly Dolphins in the first two quarters. At the end of the first half, Washington leads by a measly score of 7-3.
The Redskins offense struggled to move the football against a short-handed Miami defense for much of the first half. Bill Callahan expectedly opened the game with the running attack, which was predominantly inefficient. The Redskins managed to get on the board courtesy of a nifty route by rookie wide receiver Terry McLaurin, but aside from that scoring play, there wasn’t much success for Callahan’s unit.
On defense, it was different. Against Miami’s patchwork offensive line, Washington logged four sacks in the first half, as well as a fifth by Ryan Anderson that was negated by a roughing the passer penalty. Matt Ioannidis, Jonathan Allen, Treyvon Hester, and Landon Collins all got in on the action. Collins, in particular, set the tone for the defense, flying around the field as he made plays both in the secondary and in the backfield.
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Quinton Dunbar punctuated the defense’s efforts with an interception, further strengthening his case as the team’s best cornerback with his third interception of the season. The Redskins haven’t been able to put away the Dolphins, but if their defense keeps playing like it has been, they should be able to control the second half, regardless of the offense’s inconsistency. Still, the fact that Washington can’t put away Miami is telling; this team is not close to sustained success. Big changes still need to happen.