Washington Redskins: Preseason Week 1 Takeaways

Football’s back. The Washington Redskins played their first preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday, and, of course, there was plenty to analyze after the final snap.

Week 1 of the preseason doesn’t give you much of a look at most players. Kirk Cousins, for example, only played the first drive of the game. The quarterback did manage to go 5-for-5 for 39 yards, however.

Related Story: Washington Redskins: It's Just Training Camp

Something good does come out of the limited time the starters get in week one, though- more time for the guys fighting for spots. Let’s break it down a little bit.

Passing Game

We already discussed Cousins; he was great in his lone drive.

Colt McCoy took over for the rest of the first half and was decent. McCoy went 7-for-11 for 53 yards, adding eight yards on the ground. He did throw a perfect pass to Vernon Davis in the back of the end zone, but Davis let it slip through his fingers, so no touchdown for McCoy.

Rookie Nate Sudfeld played the entire second half and put up pretty solid numbers. He completed 10-of-15 passes, throwing for 89 yards and one touchdown compared to no interceptions.

It’s hard to complain about the quarterback play in Week 1 of the preseason, especially when they managed to not turn the ball over.

The wide receivers and tight ends put together a solid performance as well. The big problem was Niles Paul leaving the game with an injury, but it was nothing serious.

Rashad Ross and Ryan Grant both performed extremely well (something both did last preseason as well). Logan Paulsen caught one pass for 28 yards in his first game in what seems like forever. Paulsen’s slightly underrated in the passing game. He could give the Redskins an advantage simply because team’s see him as coming in to block, which could lead to him seeing some open routes.

Running Game

I don’t like to get too upset with the offensive line during preseason. The pass blocking wasn’t too bad, but the run blocking was pretty ugly. However, the offensive line sees a lot of changes, and there are times where the second or third string is going up against the defense’s starters. Trying to get into a good rhythm when everyone around you is being plugged in and out is rough, so they get a pass.

With that being said, the running backs weren’t pretty for 85% of the game. Robert Kelley saved the day, however. No, I don’t mean that Robert Kelly, although I wouldn’t put it past the R&B GOAT (don’t debate me on this) to save the day.

Kelley picked up 40 yards and one touchdown on seven carries. Mack Brown also got seven carries, gaining 28 yards. Matt Jones, Chris Thompson, and Keith Marshall combined for zero yards on eight carries.

There’s no need to worry about this, however. Yes, the Redskins’ running game isn’t exactly top tier, but that trio will be a lot better than zero yards in the regular season.

Run Defense

Awesome.

The Redskins had 79 yards on 24 carries. That’s not good. It looks a little bit better when you see that the Falcons had 79 yards on 28 carries. The only person to average more than two yards per carry on the Falcons was Matt Simms, the fourth-string quarterback.

The middle linebackers looked good, and Su’a Cravens is going to be fun to watch. His speed is going to force opposing teams fans to see him in the backfield multiple times a game. Side note: Martrell Spaight is going to be a baller, and his pre-game gives you chills.

Dude, it’s Week 1 of the preseason and you’re making me want to strap on a helmet and get my head knocked off fighting for you. Yes.

The defensive line is by no means the most dominant in the NFL. With that being said, they’ve got a great combination of size, speed, athleticism, and depth. This could be an underrated part of the Redskins defense, and they could see a huge improvement in run defense in 2016.

Pass Defense

Hit-and-miss. Quinton Dunbar looked bad against Aldrick Robinson. I don’t really focus on the negatives in Week 1 of the preseason though. It seems like it’s so much easier to make mistakes in your first game of the year than to make great plays.

Again, Cravens gives the Redskins a versatility that most teams don’t have. His ability to defend the pass and run makes him such a special player. Duke Ihenacho looked good in his first game since Week 1 of last season, and the secondary was generally decent on the day.

Preston Smith and Trent Murphy both looked good in pass rush. Even without Junior Galette, this could be one of the biggest strengths of the Redskins defense (via Stephen Czara of Redskins.com). Ziggy Hood has surprised me so far and could very well play his way onto the final 53.

Special Teams

It just wouldn’t be the Redskins special teams without a few hiccups. Now that they’ve got a great kicker (Dustin Hopkins) and a great punter (Tress Way), there’s really only one other thing that could go wrong. That would be a return touchdown, and oh, look at that, it happened in the first game of the preseason.

The Falcons J.D. McKissic took the opening kick of the second half 101 yards straight up the middle for a touchdown. He didn’t even get touched.

Don’t be too worried about this.

First off, if you’ve been watching the Redskins for long enough, you’ll know they are inclined to make some big blunders on special teams every year.

Secondly, that’s not the first team special teams. This isn’t a position that teams keep depth for. It’s not like quarterback where you need a good backup on the team. If a special teams player goes down, you don’t go to free agency to find a new one. You just plug someone else already on your team in.

Some of those guys in during that play won’t be on the team, let alone special teams, when the regular season rolls around.

Oh, and happy note, Way averaged over 50 yards per punt on seven attempts.

Overall

Despite the loss, it’s hard to look at this game as a failure.

The Redskins passing game looked solid no matter which quarterback was in. All three quarterbacks showed no signs that this was Week 1 of the preseason. The passing attack should be fun to watch in 2016.

The running game improved as the game went on. Jones, Thompson, and Marshall didn’t get a chance to do much. Expect to see them improve as they get more reps per game.

Related Story: Washington Redskins: LB Steven Daniels Out for the Year

The defense only surrendered one touchdown. The defense will make giant improvements as an overall unit in 2016. Week 1 of the preseason has already shown flashes of those improvements.

As far as preseason debuts go, this lies more on the positive side of the spectrum.