The Washington Redskins are 1-2 after three of their four preseason games. The loss they suffered in Game 3 at the hands of the Denver Broncos was ugly in a lot of ways. Without getting into the already-documented specifics, new QB Alex Smith looked more out-of-sync than he has since arriving in the nation’s capital. He overthrew TE Vernon Davis and RB Kapri Bibbs; and was both sacked and hurried too much. The offense couldn’t get into the end zone and only recorded a field goal. On three of four series, it couldn’t convert for a first down.
The starting defense was okay early on, but, as the game progressed, it became less effective. Washington’s secondary especially, didn’t tackle well for much of the game; and there were too many times when Denver’s ball-catchers were wide-open for catches with big gains.
The big concern is not so much that this was a preseason loss, it’s that since coach Jay Gruden arrived, the team has started out slowly early in the regular season. The hope this year was that, with a veteran like Smith at the helm, the team would be able to come out swinging for its first game against the Arizona Cardinals.
From the looks of the Redskins’ starters against Denver, it’s not ready for the regular season.
That’s not to say there weren’t some bright spots.
New-to-the-Redskins’ running back, Adrian Peterson, was impressive; particularly since he’s only been in the DMV for five days. He exhibited explosiveness, decisiveness, speed and good vision. In the short time he was on the field, he averaged over five yards per carry.
Rookie defensive lineman Daron Payne was, once again, impactful as was OLB Preston Smith.
Several young players made notable plays later in the contest and showed Gruden that he has some serious thinking to do and that they have a right to be in the NFL.
Many are concerned, however, by the bad showing at FedEx in the starters’ dress rehearsal. They wonder whether this is a harbinger of things to come or if there are other things to consider.
Is it time for Redskins Nation to panic?
Good question. Consider the following and decide:
Gruden did not game plan for this opponent like he will in the regular season.
Preseason is a time for getting starting guys real-time game play. While Broncos star LBs Von Miller and Bradley Chubb presented problems, the Redskins did not call plays specific to those two players or Denver in general. What Smith and the rest of the offense did was ‘vanilla’ and not very creative. It’s no wonder the Broncos’ defense had success.
Also, it was important that Washington did not suffer unnecessary injuries before the regular season starts. So if effort didn’t seem up to par, this must be considered. It’s a fine and subtle line between a player needing to give it 100 percent so as not to get hurt and not going at it hard so he doesn’t get hurt.
Finally, one must remember that the Redskins were not at full strength… at least offensively.
RBs Chris Thompson, Samaje Perine and Byron Marshall all did not play against Denver. TE Jordan Reed and WR Maurice Harris also didn’t play. Thompson and Reed are integral to the Redskins offense scheme and their presence makes a huge difference. Combining a vanilla scheme with a lack of the team’s premium play-makers is going to make a difference in how effective a unit is.
Washington did not look good against the Broncos, no doubt about it. Just two weeks away from the season opener against the Arizona Cardinals, the offense could not convert third downs or score touchdowns, and the defense wasn’t tackling well at all.
With the criticism on Gruden for not having the team ready to play early in the season, the way the team lost against Denver is concerning.
Again, is it time to panic?