Washington Redskins: Preseason Week 2 Takeaways

On Friday, the Washington Redskins defeated the New York Jets by a final score of 22-18. What should fans takeaway from the team’s performance?

There was plenty of action before the game even started, as the Redskins listed some big names as inactive. Quarterback Kirk Cousins was joined by left tackle Trent Williams and pass catchers Jordan Reed and DeSean Jackson as offensive scratches. Meanwhile, outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan and cornerback Josh Norman rode the pine on the defensive side of the ball.

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This gave some fringe players a bigger role, and a better chance to shine. Who played well and who didn’t? Which positions looked strong and which looked weak? What should the fans focus on the most?

Passing Game

Only two quarterbacks got play for the Redskins on Friday, and as mentioned above, neither was Cousins. Still, Colt McCoy showed why he’s one of the best backups in the game, showing tremendous accuracy in his time. McCoy finished 13-for-16 for 159 yards and two touchdowns (one interception). Redskins fans should feel extremely confident with him as an insurance plan.

Nate Sudfeld was erratic, but he’s also seen as a project. He played extremely well in week 1 of the preseason, so don’t get discouraged. He still managed to not turn the ball over and make some superb passes.

The wide receivers were led once again by Rashad Ross and Ryan Grant. Jamison Crowder had a good day, while Kendal Thompson had a fantastic go-ahead touchdown grab in the closing seconds of the game.

That’s a good way to get the coaches to notice you, just saying.

As I said before though, Ross was the King of the day on offense. Ross caught four passes for 58 yards, and scored two touchdowns, including this beauty from McCoy.

I was extremely high on Ross as a depth guy before the start of the preseason, and he’s really showing out. His route running has clearly improved, and he has the speed to get away from any defensive back. He’s definitely someone to keep an eye on for the rest of the preseason.

The offensive line played exceptionally well considering they didn’t have Williams at their disposal. That was extremely encouraging to see.

Running Game

Matt Jones looked much better, but suffered an injury. Luckily, it doesn’t appear to be anything serious (via Tyler Dragon of NFL.com). Keith Marshall looked better, and so did Chris Thompson. Nobody really jumped out as dominating. Even though he wasn’t great (2.6 yards per carry) Marshall definitely helped his stock on the team.

Robert Kelley couldn’t recapture the magic of his preseason Week 1 performance. Kelley also didn’t get nearly as many touches, only carrying the ball three times for eight yards. For comparison, he had 40 yards and one touchdown on seven carries in Week 1 of the preseason.

Kelley’s definitely not out of the running to make the team however, but he’s got to put in work for the rest of the preseason. I guess you could say he’s got some “Unfinished Business (No, the R. Kelly references won’t stop).

Again, the offensive line looked solid without Williams. If relatively healthy, the offensive line should be a strength of the Redskins this season.

Defense

I decided to just say “defense” here, because there wasn’t much of a chance for the Redskins’ run defense to show it’s stuff. The Jets only carried the ball nine times, collecting 35 yards on the way.

The passing defense looked solid. Again, no Norman or Kerrigan on defense. I did neglect to mention up top that Bashaud Breeland didn’t suit up either.

However, this did give some younger players a chance to shine.

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Quinton Dunbar played much better than he did last week, while Kendall Fuller looked exceptional in coverage. Anthony Lanier, Michael Wakefield, and Stephen Paea all picked up a sack, while Will Blackmon recorded an interception.

Overall

In the end, the Redskins handled time-of-possession (nearly 36 of the 60 minutes) and turnovers (three-to-one), but lost the total yardage battle, 349-326.

Major improvements were made by the running backs and some of the cornerbacks. Dunbar and Fuller both gave fans plenty to be encouraged about.

The special teams didn’t really do anything exceptional or dreadful this week. Crowder muffed a punt, but Dunbar sprang on it before any damage was done, and Tress Way continued to boot punts at an absurd rate.

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Week 3 should be exciting, as the healthy scratches will probably see plenty of time on the field. The running back race will be heating up as well, and it will be intriguing to watch the receivers. Thompson definitely put his name on the map with that great one-handed catch, but Ross is the one who is really shining.

With so many stories to follow, aren’t you just happy that football is back?