The Takeaways, week 2: Washington at Denver edition

September 18, 2023

by Steve Thomas

As expected, Washington was able to defeat the Denver Broncos by a score of 35 – 33; however, what was very much a surprise was the manner in which this victory happened.  Washington definitely had some significant ups and downs in this game, which at times more resembled two separate games.  Fortunately, that leave plenty of room for this week’s edition of The Takeaways, which is my weekly instant, off-the-cuff reaction to Washington’s most recent contest.  These are my thoughts for this week:

Schizophrenia can be a wonderful thing

Washington looked mediocre to slightly bad on offense and absolutely atrocious on defense throughout most of the first half.  Then, the team woke up, remembered that they were playing the game of professional football, and absolutely dominated for most of the second half – right up until the time that Russell Wilson remembered that he was Russell Wilson, including a successful hail mary in the last play of the game.  Honestly, I can’t remember a recent Redskins Washington Football Team Commanders Washington game that was more hit or miss than this one.  The trick, or course, is to put together an entire game of the performance we saw in the second half this week.  The hit or miss nature of this performance isn’t a sustainable plan, particularly against teams that are better than Denver, but it worked this time, and that’s what counts.

Brian Robinson Jr.’s coming out party

Robinson had 18 carries for 87 yards and 2 touchdowns, for an average of 4.8 yards per carry, plus 2 receptions for 42 yards, for an average of 21 yards per reception.  For the math-deficient, that equates to 108 yards from scrimmage.  This is the kind of performance that we’ve expected from his since his arrival in DC last year.  Robinson’s performance was a key part of the team’s domination of the second half.  It’s not a revelation to suggest that the best thing a football team can do for a young quarterback is to give him a running game.  For the first time in what seems like forever, a Washington running back actually did that.  Robinson’s performance got better and better throughout the game; at the end of the first quarter, he had 3 carries for 10 yards and no receptions.  Now, the downside to his performance, if there is one, is that his long run of 27 yards props up his average – taking that out leaves 17 carries for 60 yards, which is just 3.5 yards per carries.  Of course, the 27 yard carry happened, so it’s a bit of strawman type of argument, but the point is that the next step in Robinson’s development is to average over 4.5 yards per carry throughout the game.  Regardless, congrats to him for a job well done.

Sam Howell continues to impress

Howell had 27 completions in 39 attempts for 299 yards, 2 touchdowns, no interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 108.8.  The overwhelming bulk of those attempts came in the first half.  Those are outstanding numbers for anyone, let alone a player as inexperienced as Howell.  He made some outstanding throws, particularly his 30 yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin, which was worthy of any Pro Bowl quarterback you could name.  When Howell has time to progress through his reads, he is a quality quarterback and leader.  As an added bonus, he also demonstrated his mobility in a drive-saving 11 yard run.  Things weren’t perfect, of course: Howell missed a few reads and looked rattled at times, but that’s to be expected.  The point is that he’s been more of an asset than expected so far this year.  Of course, the we’re still in the easy part of schedule, so more to come in future week.

Offensive line ups and downs

At the start of this game, Washington’s offensive line looked like a disaster, to put it mildly, allowing Howell to be under pressure and failing to open up rushing lanes.  Then, as the game went on, this position group collectively flipped a switch and began to look like a much more accomplished and effective unit.  Somehow.  It should be noted that the Broncos aren’t exactly a defensive powerhouse, but still: more of the second half performance, please.  I was genuinely shocked at their ability to protect their quarterback late in the game.  The next step is a full game of this, not just one half.

Chase Young does some things

Young wasn’t great in this contest, but did show up and make a difference, which is more than he’s done since his rookie year.  In total, he had 3 tackles, including 2 solo, and 1.5 sacks.  That doesn’t necessarily sound like an All Pro performance, but he made a difference in the game, and that’s a start.  I’m glad to see Young be something other than invisible for the first time in a long time.  Can this continue?  I don’t know, but Young will have his opportunity to prove he belongs.

That’s it for The Takeaways for this week.  Next up is the Buffalo Bills at home, which will be a tough game Washington, but one that will allow Washington to prove that they are worthy of being considered a contender.