Game Recap: Redskins Notch Second Straight Win in Carolina
December 2, 2019
by Sean Conte
Most of the time, teams as putrid as the 2019 Redskins are eliminated by week 13 or 14. But that’s not the case in the NFC East, where the struggling Eagles, Redskins, Cowboys, and Giants have combined for 16 total wins and 32 losses on the season. That’s an abysmal record eclipsed only in recent history – potentially – by the NFC West in 2010, which produced 25 wins. We’re witnessing historic divisional incompetence right now. What a time to be alive!
The Redskins meet each divisional opponent once more before the season ends. That’s three more opportunities for Washington’s stoppable force to meet the NFC East’s movable objects. It’s pretty weird that in the post-Gruden, post-Keenum era, the Redskins are on a two-game win streak and fighting for a chance at the NFC East title, but here we are. I don’t necessarily view this as a good thing. The team is not good, not close to being good, and any signal to the higher-ups that things are peachy keen on the ground is a false omen. No one should be comfortable, and wins make people comfortable. I feel some friction here, after 10+ years of latching on to every flash-in-the-pan.
The Haskins matter is settled. It was never a good idea to stash him behind Case Keenum in a lost year, as if that was ever going to improve his stock, or change the fact that his biggest issue was lack of game time. It’s far more valuable to have Dwayne out there racking up wins and experience. And, surprise, the team actually is winning. To be clear, Dwayne contributed very little to the victory yesterday in Carolina; his 147 yard, 0 TD, 13 of 25 stat line displays as much. But he had some nice passes to Harmon, Sims, Sprinkle, and Thompson, and he showed great pocket awareness dodging tackles late in the third quarter. The assessment on Haskins is the same as it ever was: he’s a talented guy who played one year of college ball, and he looks like it. Jury’s still out, but there’s talent and athleticism there if the Redskins can nurture it.
But that’s Haskins. The rookie(ish player) that really merits discussion here is Guice. He made the difference yesterday with 129 yards and two TDs. The Reeds, Doctsons, etc, of the world have left me jaded, and I was ready to wash my hands of Guice when the injury occurred this year, but he’s doing exactly what he needed to do to win me over…which is prove that he can be an integral part of this offense moving forward. Adrian Peterson performed well too, including ripping a clutch 25-yard scamper from the Redskins own end zone to avoid a safety. That’s what a run-competent team looks like.
The defense performed well yesterday, to put it mildly. The unit tallied 7 sacks, an interception, and 11 TFLs. This is the way our Alabama-based defensive front is supposed to perform…except the biggest contributors were Matt Ioannidis, Chris Odom, and Nate Orchard, none of whom went to Alabama and none of whom were a substantial draft pick…or a Washington pick at all.
Why does the team seem to be performing as designed now, at the end of what should be a lost season, without a permanent coach, with unknowns at linebacker and defensive end, with a QB the last coach never wanted, with…you get the point, right? The front does seem to be playing more aggressively, but that said they’ve faced two fill-ins at QB the last two weeks. Let’s see how they hold against Rodgers.
The major headline yesterday, besides the win, was Ryan Anderson’s ejection after a vicious hit on Greg Olsen. I think the hit was more inevitable than malicious, but Olsen seemed to lose consciousness briefly, plus he’s a household name. That flag will be thrown every time. Not so much for Washington’s Trey Quinn, also in the concussion protocol this week after taking a bad helmet-to-helmet hit (no corresponding ejection).
So, the team is riding high after a second straight win. I get it. Next week should help clarify what we’ve seen the last two weeks, since you learn more about a team against a good opponent than a poor or injured one. That said, it’s all NFC East from then to the end of the season. I just hope those games don’t skew perspectives in Ashburn, or anywhere else.