Game Recap: Eagles Over Redskins 28-13, and Colt McCoy’s Final Snap

I’ve got a lot of thoughts running through my head after Washington’s latest defeat, the second consecutive to a division rival. That brings the Redskins to 2-2 in division games, and 1-4 in their last 5. Given the present state of the team it’s hard to see either of those trends breaking in weeks 14 through 16.

Washington once held a multi-game lead in the NFC East, but two broken fibulas later and the team finds itself at .500 and slipping. The big picture question here is where exactly this roster snafu ranks on the laundry list of snafus-gone-by. Are these two broken legs a freak accident, like lightning striking twice where it hurts the most? Or is this the inevitable result of two 30+ year old QBs (one with a substantial injury history) taking snaps behind a young and untested line? One scenario absolves team staff, the roster, the coach. The other speaks to systemic problems with scouting and roster-building, rumors of which have plagued Washington for decades.

Last week I said Colt McCoy was better in 2018 than Alex Smith. I still stand by that. He completed four of four passes for a 12.5 yard average before his body gave out, as it is wont to do. Sanchez came in and showed some good things in relief, especially considering he’s been on the team for about a week, but he also ran back 10 yards on a handoff-turned-toss with both arms out in front of him like he was delivering a pizza. And he threw an ugly INT, finishing the night with 13 completions on 21 attempts for a 4.8 yard average, mostly due to checkdowns and dump-offs. When he took risks, they didn’t pan out. That’s Mark Sanchez.

Lots of folks are calling for Jay Gruden’s head. But once again, Jay Gruden gets to wear a giant asterisk like a shield. How much can you fault the coach with a roster this injured? How much can you fault the coach when he’s running a condensed, Sanchez-approved playbook built off a few plays and a little sprinkling of variation? The waters here in 2018 are as muddy now as they ever were. For both the QB and coaching situation, it’s unclear what a change would even mean for the rest of the season. No truly viable player is still available, and no one else on this coaching staff can be expected to do more with the pieces currently in place.

Adrian Peterson had what can only be referred to as a “one play game”. 90 of his 98 yards came on, yes, one play, though credit must be given here for the touchdown. AP signed a one year prove-it deal, and I think he’s proven it. Bring him back, and Guice (well, obviously), and Thompson (who is due a pay bump in 2019). I like our running backs. They could do great things with a dependable line and a threatening QB.

I like the defense too. Tonight they gave up 28 points, half of which came in the fourth quarter while the Redskins offense did the typical punt-punt-interception-punt-punt routine. The Redskins defense has exploitable problems, but they generally keep points off the board. They’ve averaging 21 points allowed – absolutely winnable. For context, the 9-3 Patriots also average 21. The 11-1 rams average 26. 27 points allowed for the 10-2 Chiefs.

Even when the defense is getting marched on, I can’t help but notice a sense of cohesion and awareness that hasn’t been present in years past. It’s on full display when Josh Norman intercepts a goal-line pass (and adds a nice run back for good measure). It’s on full display when Zach Brown makes a tackle-for-loss on a 3rd down goal line run. When passes are completed, defenders are generally there to make tackles. It’s a marked improvement. Yes, the TEs got a lot of force-fed yards in last night’s game, but they weren’t TE yards the likes of which we saw a few years back, when the entire team made superstars out of lesser known TEs by forgetting to cover them at all. The defense is trending up, plain and simple.

I’m not sure what to say about this one. The problem in Washington right now is that, in key positions like QB, LB, and in places along the offensive line, the pieces here don’t seem to be the answer, and as a result they can’t help us assess effectiveness anywhere else. Far too many guys are going to get passes this year because of this team’s health issues, and I don’t see any way around that. It makes any sort of analysis at this point difficult.

So settle in folks, because no matter what happens, the future-view is foggy. That may not change until next year.