After a national game marked by miscommunication, a lack of execution and nonsensical mistakes, the Washington Redskins are now concentrating on the upcoming Week 6 contest against the Carolina Panthers.
Moving forward, Redskins Nation should take heart in the efforts of Washington right guard Brandon Scherff, whose efforts landed him on Pro Football Focus’s Week 5 NFL Team of the Week. This is essentially a list that highlights the best individual performances during the recent games at every position.
Should Scherff have the same kind of game versus the Panthers as he did against the Saints, then Carolina defensive linemen Dontari Poe, Kawaan Short and Julius Peppers (if the latter two play Sunday) shouldn’t be as much of a problem as one might anticipate.
Scherff is a quiet guy in the locker room but he’s physical and nasty in the trenches; and his run blocking, especially, has steadily improved under O-line coach Bill Callahan. If the Redskins’ ground game continues to be effective with the addition of RB Adrian Peterson (should he remain healthy); the Iowa product will have been a significant reason for it.
For his play Monday night, he received an overall grade of 90.4 and, compared to other right guards during the weekend’s games, a 90.1. These are impressive grades considering who he was up against.
Of Scherff, PFF author Gordon McGuinness wrote:
It was a night to forget for Washington, but Scherff reminded everyone of what he’s capable of with an outstanding performance at right guard. From 44 pass blocking snaps, he allowed just one sack, with no hits or hurries. With the flow of the game, they only ran the ball 17 times, but as he has done before, Scherff made several key blocks, both at the line of scrimmage and second level.
One can only hope that the right guard’s determination is an example to his teammates and that, when the players take the field Sunday, they are as well-prepared as he always is… and on fire.