Game Notes: Washington Redskins Get Their Second Win Against The Titans

The Washington Redskins (2-5) have finally broke their losing streak with a 19-16 win against the Tennessee Titans (2-5). It was a sloppy game by both sides early on and after two turnovers Washington benched Kirk Cousins. However, the Washington Redskins were able to leave with a win — something they needed badly.

The Good:

• DeSean Jackson is ridiculous. The Eagles were nuts to out-right release a talent like Jackson. He’s always been a good hands catcher, but he’s caught more contested balls this year than I can remember him ever doing. For the first time in a long time the Redskins picked up a player who is in the middle of his prime. His sweet spot is now. Although he didn’t catch many balls Sunday, his impact was felt — especially on that final drive. Without Jackson, I don’t think the Redskins would have won.

• Pierre Garcon came up big on his 70-yard touchdown. That’s the Pierre Garcon Washington knows. He’s a yards-after-catch beast. For some reason, he just doesn’t make many plays with Cousins at QB.

• There’s three defensive players that continue to stand out to me. The first is ILB Keenan Robinson. He led the team with 14 tackles Sunday and he’s just a consistent player. He doesn’t often get beat in coverage and he makes plays upfield. Robinson is still a young player with room to grow, but I like where he is so far. For the past two games, Will Compton has played next to Robinson and I see no reason for the team to remove him as a starter. Sure, he only got his opportunity due to Perry Riley’s injury. But I’ve thought for a while now that Compton had more potential than Riley. He’s been solid in coverage and in the run game. The other player who has impressed me is rookie corner Bashuad Breeland. He’s not afraid to stick his head in the trash and make tackles. He had a nice interception on an overthrown ball. I do, however, continue to believe Breeland has a future as a safety. He can be a good corner, but his skillset is screaming free safety to me right now. I’ve been more impressed with Breeland than any Redskins’ defensive back so far this season.

• Colt McCoy came in and played a poised football game. As the third QB, he doesn’t receive many practice reps at all. When he does, it certainly isn’t with the starters. So he did a great job stepping up and helping the Redskins win a football game. He was decisive and I liked the fact he made a few protection changes at the line of scrimmage.

• HC Jay Gruden had a key decision to make Sunday. He needed to make a move that would give his football team a spark. During halftime, he did that when he decided to bench Kirk Cousins. This is a move that could have happened in past weeks. It absolutely needed to happen Sunday after Cousins turned the ball over twice.

• Although it’s like a roller coaster when watching Washington Redskins kicker Kai Forbath attempt field goals, he nailed four on Sunday — one being the game winner. They literally wouldn’t have won without his services.

The Bad:

• The Washington Redskins continue to struggle running the football. I spent time last week watching film on this and it’s attributed to several things. The interior line — specifically the guards are losing at the point of attack. They are also struggling to get to the second level. In-line blocking tight end is also a problem. But another issue I continue to see is Alfred Morris is only getting what’s blocked for him. He isn’t creating plays on his own. He’s not making as many yards after contact as you’d like to see. Not to mention, he appears to be slow to the hole and his lateral movement skills are not showing. It’s clear that Morris benefits from having Robert Griffin III at QB with the threat of zone read. Morris has yet to run for 100 yards this season. This is something the Redskins need to fix.

• Not sure what’s up with Andre Roberts but he’s struggled the past few weeks. He’s dropped some balls and he hasn’t done much of anything on special teams. He looked great early in the season but has fallen off as of late.

• Ryan Clark has not been a good player for the Redskins this year. I don’t see his impact as a vocal leader on defense and I don’t see him making many plays. It’s almost as if the Redskins re-signed the 2012-2013 safety version of London Fletcher.

Ugly:

• Brian Orakpo appears on this list every week. In fact, there’s about $11.5 million worth of reasons why he deserves to be on this list every week. He missed several tackles Sunday. He continues to be a non-factor in terms of pass rush. Not to mention, he now has a pec injury that the team fears could be season-ending. This would be his third pec-tear, if it proves to be that. That’s a lot of money going down the drain. Washington should not re-sign him in the off-season. But even if they don’t, they’re a year too late. And that’s why this team continues to struggle adding talent.

• Lastly, Kirk Cousins. I’ve been hard on Cousins since day one. He has exceptional character and is a very great guy. However, Cousins doesn’t have what it takes to win in this league, right now. When he turns the ball over, he’s noticeably shook-up and in his feelings. That’s not good for him and it’s not good for the football team. I think you’ve seen the last of Kirk for the foreseeable future. It will be either Colt McCoy or Robert Griffin III starting against the Dallas Cowboys. Gruden says Griffin has a chance at practicing Wednesday. With the game on Monday night, there will be an extra day for the team to evaluate how Griffin reacts to practice. But either way, I think it’s between those two players for that game.

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