Week Fourteen Grades, Evaluations, Questions
Week fourteen is in the books and now we take a look at how the entire team fared against the Bears. The Redskins were finally able to capture a road win and maintain first place with a tie breaker. It was a squeaker, but it was an important victory. So now it is time to make some sense of it all as BBQ hands out grades and evaluations. Feel free to offer your own grades, evaluations, and opinions. Also, we have some questions to close out week fourteen.
Let’s take a look at the grades.
Quarterbacks:
The game started off great as Kirk Cousins led the way. He did have an errant toss that was intercepted, but led the team to a winning drive on the next series. Although it was an ill-advised pass, he did get away with a throw across the field – the running back (via the tight end) made a great play.
Grade: B+
Running Backs:
Matt Jones carried most of the load and provided a timely first down to seal the win while Alfred Morris was able to pick up his first touchdown of the season. Pierre Thomas played sparingly, but was able to have one catch for twelve yards.
Grade: B-
Wide Receivers:
This unit had a solid game and made no specific blunders or impactful errors. DeSean Jackson provided timely catches and Pierre Garcon was able to pierce the Bears defense with some decent receptions. Jamison Crowder needs to be featured a bit more in the offense.
Grade: B
Tight Ends:
Jordan Reed put the team on his back and the elite tight end was able to deliver a dominating performance. Little to nothing of note from the other tight ends other than Derek Carrier being lost for the season.
Grade: A-
Offensive Line:
Since BBQ can’t split the grade between individual players, we must grade the unit as a whole. They did a fine job for the most part, but Trent Williams arguably had his worst game as a Redskin. He had too many penalties and missed blocking assignments.
Grade: B-
Defensive Line:
Terrance Knighton wreaked havoc on the opposing line. He was able to collect a sack and be a force in the running game. The defensive line was a bit stymied in the passing game, but more than held their own against two excellent running backs.
Grade: B
Linebackers:
The linebackers had a very good day with Trent Murphy getting a strip sack, Ryan Kerrigan adding to his sack totals, and Preston Smith bringing the pressure. However, the best call/audible came late in the game when Will Compton was able to read the offense, bark out the defensive scheme, and the entire front seven “stayed home” on a screen pass. It proved to be the correct call at a critical moment.
Grade: A+
Cornerbacks:
The corners had a mixed day of success, but Bashaud Breeland stood out for most of the afternoon. He started to draw the tougher assignments as the game progressed and proved to be very valuable down the stretch.
Grade: C+
Safeties:
The Redskins continued to feature Dashon Goldson playing at strike safety and DeAngelo Hall at free safety. Their coverage was marginal, but they were superb in the running game. The hope is that both will become much more comfortable with these new roles in the coming weeks.
Grade: B-
Special Teams:
Tress Way and Dustin Hopkins continue to pay dividends for the Redskins. Both players are continuing to provide a much needed presence in the kicking game and the hope is that they will continue to do so for many years. Penalties are still haunting the Redskins on kickoff and punt returns. It’s not unusual to see this in the first game or two, but the pattern of numerous penalties in a game continues. This shouldn’t be happening in week fourteen. The returns for both kickoffs and punts were all but non-existent.
Grade: C
Coaching:
The team performed very well in the first quarter and jumped out to an early fourteen point lead in the opening minute of the second stanza. From there it was a back and forth struggle, but the Redskins maintained an edge throughout the contest and never trailed. Negatives included penalties on the offense and special teams. One series was a sore spot for the coaching staff. Deep in Bears territory, the team had to burn a timeout after a brief period of confusion. That confusion continued after the timeout and it cost the Redskins five yards, but the offense bailed the coaches out with a quick checkdown pass for a touchdown. The final defensive series featured Bashaud Breeland freelancing more to cover the leading receiver and it factored heavily in the win.
Grade: C
How would you grade each position and the coaching staff? After this showing against the Bears, are you encouraged with a road win and how it could impact the final two games of the season? Is Kirk Cousins inching toward a new contract and long term security with and for the Redskins? Is the new setup at strike safety (Goldson) and free safety (Hall) going to work out and provide stability at two vital positions? How does it feel to be playing meaningful games deeper into December? What are you expecting against the Bills? On to week fifteen.
See you again next week with grades, evaluations, and questions.
Hail to the Redskins!
