The Washington Redskins fell to the Atlanta Falcons 38-14 at FedEx Field on Sunday. The matchup showed that when the Redskins aren’t clicking on both sides of the ball, it is difficult for them to turn it around. The Falcons dominated, leaving the Redskins off-balance most of the game.

Now 5-3 and still leading the NFC East, the value of some players is on the rise while others are on the decline:

Value Up

1. WR Josh Doctson

The season has been bleak for Doctson who hasn’t had much of an impact thus far. After two huge drops in the 1stquarter, it looked like he was on his way to another disappointing showing. Doctson eventually shook off the rocky start and came through with key receptions for the remainder of the game. In the 2nd quarter, he pulled in a third-down pass from Alex Smith that looked to be a lost cause. The catch kept the drive alive and ended with Doctson’s first touchdown of the season. He also had another nice catch later in the game that was negated by a questionable taunting penalty.

2. WR Maurice Harris

Harris had a career-day despite the outcome of the game. He was the team’s leading receiver with ten receptions for 124 yards. Most notably, he had a nice 18-yard grab in the 2nd quarter to set up Doctson’s touchdown and a one-handed 33-yard catch in double coverage.

3. CB Quinton Dunbar

Dunbar was making his presence known in the secondary before an injury that has previously sidelined him took him out of the game. Besides accounting for pass breakups and disrupting the Falcons’ receivers, he produced the only turnover of the day. Dunbar picked off Matt Ryan in the midst of the Falcons driving into Redskins territory and returned it for 24 yards.

Injuries could again derail a promising Redskins season

Value Down

1. Defensive Unit

Anything the Falcons wanted to accomplish on offense, they were able to make happen. Whether it was running the ball or going through the air, the entire defensive unit was torched by the Falcons. The front seven were unable to stop the run allowing the Falcons to collect 154 rushing yards. The secondary also got burned on some routes and at one point, CB Josh Norman had to succumb to a pass interference call to prevent WR Julio Jones from scoring after he was severely beaten downfield. The Falcons offense finished the game with 491 total yards to which included Jones’ 35-yard touchdown reception which was his first of the season.

2. OL Morgan Moses

The Redskins were penalized ten times for 147 yards against the Falcons. Three of those penalties were on Moses with two for holding and one for unsportsmanlike conduct. In all fairness, Moses was injured earlier in the game which could account for some of the holdings.

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