Washington Redskins: Don’t Give Up On Bashaud Breeland

Antonio Brown had himself a day, while being covered mainly by Bashaud Breeland. The Washington Redskins shouldn’t give up on the corner, though.

Let’s start this off with the obvious, Monday Night agains the Pittsburgh Steelers wasn’t Bashaud Breeland’s best game. I know that, you know that, and he knows that. Brown finished the game with eight catches for 126 yards and two touchdowns.

Related Story: Washington Redskins Cornerback Coverage: Kendall Fuller

Take a step back and analyze this closer though. Was Breeland’s game really that bad? In 2015, Brown had 136 receptions. That’s an average of 8.5 catches per game. So Breeland’s right around average in that category.

Yes, his yards and touchdowns surpass his 2015 per-game averages, but let’s look at those a little further as well. The first touchdown pass to Brown for example.

The 29-yard throw-and-catch was picture perfect. Ben Roethlisberger put that ball right on the money. Try arguing that it’s bad coverage by Breeland—go ahead. You can’t do it. He’s right under him (seriously, look how close Breeland is in the cover picture). If that ball was another inch or two behind Brown, it’s at least tipped by Breeland.

More from NFL Spin Zone

• Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
• Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
• Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
• Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
• Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens

In the stat sheet however, it all looks the same. You see 29-yard touchdown by Brown and you’re not thinking “well it must’ve been a perfect throw by Roethlisberger.” You’re thinking more along the lines of “Brown must’ve made him look stupid.”

Everyone has a bad day at the office, Breeland’s just so happened to come against someone that you can’t make mistakes against. Don’t forget that Breeland didn’t put up miserable numbers in the game either. He recorded nine tackles, had one pass deflection, and intercepted a pass. All great stats to build on for next week.

He’ll get another opportunity to cover a top-tier receiver this week against the Dallas Cowboys and Dez Bryant. Breeland has looked extremely impressive against him in the past, and expect him to come out with a chip on his shoulder.

Like I said, everyone has a bad day. It’s the truly great players that know how to respond to it. You can’t hang your head and sulk, but you also can’t not take responsibility for your actions.

Mature. That’s the perfect response. He gives credit to a great receiver in Brown, takes responsibility for his own less-than-stellar performance, and let’s everyone know he’s not giving up.

Related Story: Washington Redskins: Deshazor Everett Ready To Prove His Worth

The Redskins should consider themselves lucky to have a cornerback of Breeland’s caliber. While some fans may have forgotten that, I’m sure he’ll be reminding them soon enough.