Redskins lose to Vikings 19-9, fall to 1-7 at halfway point

The Washington Redskins fell to the Minnesota Vikings by score of 19-9, falling to a record of 1-7 at the halfway point of their 2019 season.

For a while, the Washington Redskins were in close contention with the Minnesota Vikings for the lead in their Thursday Night matchup. But the second half was not kind to the Redskins, and the Vikings ended up winning by a comfortable margin.

The biggest story of the night for Washington? Dwayne Haskins made a surprise appearance in the second half when Case Keenum was ruled out for a concussion. Much like his Giants outing, ahead of which Haskins received no first-team reps, Haskins looked rusty. He flashed again, showing good pocket awareness and the upside to be a playmaker, but he was never able to put things together. Pressure reached him quickly, and on one play, he sailed a throw to Terry McLaurin high and had it picked off.

Haskins finished the night with three completions on five attempts for 33 yards and an interception. Consequently, the offense failed to stay on the field in the second half, and the Vikings dominated the time of possession battle. Kirk Cousins failed to score a touchdown in his revenge game, but he was an incredibly efficient 23 of 26 for 285 yards. Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison formed a fearsome two-headed tandem at running back for Minnesota, and they steamrolled the Redskins defensive front for most of the second half.

It wasn’t a game to celebrate for Washington, but there were some silver linings. Adrian Peterson had a solid day on offense, showing a bit of the spryness that made him such a dynamic weapon at Minnesota. Kevin O’Connell flashed his potential as a play caller, and on defense, Matt Ioannidis and Jonathan Allen were unstoppable at times.

But in the end, the Vikings snuffed out the Redskins and easily controlled the game en route to a 19-9 win. The Redskins, now 1-7, have a long week of rest to prepare for the 5-1 Buffalo Bills.