The Takeaways, Week 8: Redskins at Vikings
October 26, 2019
by Steve Thomas
It’s not like anyone should’ve expected the Redskins to actually win this game; that’d be laughable. A competitive game in which our buddy, ‘ole Kirky, didn’t humiliate his former team, and Dalvin Cook didn’t go berserk, was realistically the best that fans could’ve hoped for. One of those things happened, and one didn’t. I’m not even too upset at this game given the circumstances. It’s sad that the expectations of Redskins fans have been reduced to this, but it’s the reality of what Dan Snyder and Bruce Allen have done to this beloved franchise, once a league-leading juggernaut now reduced to a smoking pile of Coors Light cans and the hopes and dreams of former season ticket holders. We did learn a few things in this game, though, so let’s get on with The Takeways for this week.
Dwayne Haskins was bad, but don’t panic
Look, you’re right in thinking Haskins did not play well in this game. He held the ball way too long, missed some reads, seemed to have some pre-play confusion on the line of scrimmage at times, and generally looked like the game was just too fast for him. He had a bad interception that was his fault and got away with another one that should’ve been intercepted. The last thing he looked like Thursday night was the long-term future of the franchise.
For the love of God, relax, people.
This man has played exactly 4 quarters of regular season NFL football, both unexpectedly in relief when the Redskins were losing. If you’re already having thoughts that Haskins is a bust, was a waste of a first round draft pick, and is never going to be a good quarterback (I read Twitter and occasionally our comment section – some of you are in full-scale panic mode), you’re dramatically overreacting. He needs time, practice, and game reps. Lots of quarterbacks look bad in their first few games, particularly on a bad team like the Redskins. Give him some time before you automatically condemn him to the trash heap of failed Redskins quarterbacks. And to Bruce and Dan, if you’re reading this (we all know Bill Callahan has no power), please forget the fact that I insulted you in the introduction to this column and take my advice: let the man start for the reason of the season.
Adrian Peterson still has it
AP moved up to six on the NFL’s career rushing yardage list. He’s now at 13,701 yards and has a chance to catch Curtis Martin, who’s next up at number 5 with 14,101 yards, this season. Of the players on the top 10 on this list, only Barry Sanders has a higher career yards per attempt average (4.99 compared to Peterson’s 4.69). Peterson is truly one of those guys who’ll be in the small room of the hall of fame someday, and it’s a real treat to see him play for Washington for a couple of years. He’s not quite the same player as he was in his younger years, but he’s close. Peterson and Terry McLaurin are basically the only two serious offensive threats the Redskins have this year, so Washington needs him to keep it up for at least 8 more games. He’s clearly still capable of being a top-flight NFL running back, and I hope that Derrius Guice soaks up this opportunity to learn from one of the best to ever do it.
The defense is and has been overrated
Spare me with any argument that Washington’s defense is a top unit. It isn’t, and it isn’t just the fault of the evil, incompetent Jim Tomsula. I may be alone in this opinion, but in my view this group of players has been overrated from the beginning. Even dating back to preseason, the defensive front 7 has failed to put together a full 4 quarters of top performance and has failed to measure up with any of the elite offenses that they’ve faced so far. Jonathan Allen, Matt Ioannidis, and Daron Payne certainly have talent, but the sad truth is that the front 7 as a whole has underperformed expectations. Yes, they hung with the high-powered Vikings for about 2 quarters or so, but at the end of the day, they failed to keep Minnesota’s running game from taking over the game. Yes, they only gave up 19 points, but the fact is that yet again they didn’t stop the opposition form repeatedly driving straight down the field. Guys like Jonathan Bostic and Shaun Dion Hamilton try hard and have good attitudes, but don’t seem to be plus-quality players, and Ryan Kerrigan is a shell of himself now. Also, I’m probably in the minority here, but Montez Sweat has underwhelmed with as compared to the expectations that came with him, and I still don’t see this vaunted 4.4 speed he supposedly has. Other analysts see his versatility and growth, which is true, but his calling card was supposed to be elite athleticism. I didn’t see it in his college film (click here to read my breakdown) and I don’t see it now. And don’t even get me started on the secondary. Josh Norman hasn’t had a good year, but he’s far from the worst and far from the only problem. Substantial assets need to be put into the defense for next season.
The gameplan was good
Compared to last week’s downright Paleozoic game plan, head coach Bill Callahan’s plan for the Vikings was downright progressive. The Redskins used play action on the first play and tried to have a more balanced run / pass mix all day. For a brief period of time in the first half of this game, the offense actually looked competent. They still only scored 9 points, mind you but . . . baby steps. The 2019 Redskins definitely need to be a run-first team, but you can’t win too many NFL games in this day and age with gameplans like the Redskins trotted out last week against San Francisco. More of this, please, Bill Callahan. Alot more.
Tress Way is a superstar
I bring Tress up this week because this game was the first in several weeks that he hasn’t out-punted the entire offense. I’ve mentioned this on the past few shows as a bit of a joke, but the truth is that this guy is undoubtedly the team MVP, and if he’s not the leading contender for the First Team All-Pro punter position, something’s wrong. Time and time again, Way has bailed out the inept Redskins offense, kicking monster punts that have kept the opposition from flipping field position. As my colleague Alex Zeese pointed out on the show a couple of weeks ago, Way had an absurdly-long streak of punts that did not go for a touchback. With the defense’s inability to stop anybody for a full four quarters, a lesser punter would’ve really put the Redskins in a hole. All hail the MVP.
That’s it for this week. I’ll be back with another edition after next week’s loss to game against the Buffalo Bills.