The game between the Washington Redskins and Carolina Panthers might have taken place on an alien planet for as much as this day’s Redskins team resembled the one that lost the New Orleans Saints Monday. Coming out fast and not letting up are words that sum up the game. The Redskins more than made up for the debacle of the previous game the way they defeated the Panthers 23-17 and retained their first place position in the NFC East.
Washington won the coin toss and deferred (of course) and when Carolina took the field, it was immediately apparent that the Redskins defense had come to play. The Panthers had an immediate three-and-out when linebacker Zach Brown and safety D.J. Swearinger held Carolina RB Christian McCaffrey behind the sticks.
That was an impressive defensive stop by the #Redskins with McCaffrey's speed. They never let up. Good tackling. Good start/tempo set to this game
— Diane Chesebrough (@DiChesebrough) October 14, 2018
The offense took the field and was unsuccessful and had to punt themselves after a three-and-out. But it was a short-lived setback. On the ensuing put return, Redskins LB Sean Dion Hamilton caused a fumble on the punt return, TE Jeremy Sprinkle returned it and when QB Alex Smith and his teammates took the field, he immediately hit TE Vernon Davis for 22 yards and a touchdown.
The defense was stifling early on and the offense was aggressive. It was weird to see Panthers QB Cam Newton not being the cocky signal-caller he usually is because of the success he’s having on the field. After the Redskins TD, the Panthers could do nothing. Two incomplete passes and another Zach Brown stuff later and Carolina punted again.
Washington scored again on its next possession. It was good to see tight end Jordan Reed appear before the third quarter and he caught a nice seven-yard pass. Smith got the first down on a QB sneak (his first of two in the game) for the first down.
A series of runs (from Kapri Bibbs had one for eight yards and Peterson had 16), a Panthers neutral zone infraction and a long pass to Davis for 21 moved the unit up the field. On third-and-goal at the Carolina two-yard-line, Smith threw to Paul Richardson in the back of the endzone for another touchdown and the score was 14-0 before the first quarter was over.
Gruden was aggressive offensively in this game. Smith passed to 10 different guys, including WRs Maurice Harris, Josh Doctson, Brian Quick and Michael Floyd. Peterson, Bibbs and Samaje Peterson all ran the ball. The ground game was inspired with Gruden tending to spread the plays out to test Panthers LBs Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis is space. It worked and Peterson logged 97 yards on the ground (a prolific 5.7 yards per carry average). Seeing three-tight-end sets on the field was good.
For the weapons with which the Redskins defense had to contend, it did a remarkable job. Cam Newton is one of the most challenging QBs to defend because he is so big (6-5, 246 lbs.) and can run. He has a cannon of an arm and is accurate. For weapons, he has McCaffrey, tight end Greg Olson and wideout D.J. Moore and Devin Funchess. All are dangerous. But the defense harassed Newton and held McCaffrey to 20 yards on eight carries (2.5 ypc). If defensive linemen Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne and Matt Ioannidis continue to play as well together as they did in this contest, they may become one of the premier defensive lines in the league.
The turnovers (by the Panthers, not Washington) in this game had to be gratifying for Redskins fans… especially after the stressful week the team had.
Swearinger had a fumble and Josh Norman had an INT and a fumble. And when a team wins the turnover battle, there’s a good chance it can win the matchup.
Even after halftime, when the Panthers had made adjustments, Washington’s defense was stellar when it needed to be.
Late in the fourth quarter, Cam Newton seemed to move the ball at will, picking apart the Redskins secondary for long passes of 18 yards, 12 yards and 15 yards and eventually scoring another touchdown. The successful two-point conversion added insult to injury and brought the score to 20-17.
But after the Redskins managed another field goal to increase their lead to 23-17, the defense made an essential stop when it needed to, pressuring Newton when it was important — albeit toward the end of the drive after everyone watching had been clutching their pearls — and stopping the attempt to convert on fourth-and-five.
The Redskins offense came out for the coveted victory formation (kneeling) and the game was over 23-17, Redskins.
Washington has talent. That talent just must be motivated and then put in the right spots at the right times. It’s hard to know why that didn’t happen against the New Orleans Saints but it sure did against the Carolina Panthers.
Smith completed 21 of 36 passes for 163 yards and rushed for 13 yards on six carries. He threw for two touchdowns. Vernon Davis led the team in receptions, completing three (of three targets) for 48 yards and a touchdown. Jordan Reed caught five balls for 36 yards (one of them an amazing catch) and WR Paul Richardson had three catches for 31 yards and a touchdown.