Three takeaways from the Redskins’ road win vs. Panthers
1. Derrius Guice looks like the future of the offense
The Redskins were down 14 points in this contest. Yet they were able to come from behind, take a lead into the fourth quarter, and ultimately win the game.
And a lot of that was thanks to the effort of their offense.
While the team’s defense stepped up and afforded the offense a chance to get back into the game, the offense delivered. They were able to move the ball effectively against the Panthers and take advantage of one of their biggest weaknesses. Their performance against the run.
The Panthers had so much trouble stopping the run and the ‘Skins took advantage. Adrian Peterson had a nice game (13 carries, 99 yards, 1 TD) but it was really Derrius Guice who stood out in this contest. Guice had a couple of long, beautiful runs to get the Redskins in scoring range.
On one, he threw a brutal stiff-arm to a Panthers defender, got down to the one, and then punched it in on the next carry to give the ‘Skins an eight-point lead. On another, he burst through the line and used his speed to get into the next level.
Guice showed good vision, balance, and enough explosive ability to get downfield easily. His strength is notable as well. During the game, he totaled 129 yards and 2 TDs on just 10 carries and helped the Redskins to fix some of their red-zone woes. He looks like the complete package and as he gets further removed from the ACL tear that ended his rookie year and the meniscus injury that sidelined him to start the season, he will only get better.
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The Redskins will likely continue to limit Guice down the stretch of what appears to be a lost season as they preserve him for next year. But if he keeps getting 10-15 touches per game, he will do a lot to help the team. And if he can stay healthy, he will be able to be a bell cow for the offense in 2020.