Redskins vs. Eagles: Final Grades and Analysis for Washington

The Eagles allowed the Redskins to stay in the game, but in the end, Washington didn't have enough and Philadelphia was able to win on its home field for the first time this season.  

Final

Redskins: 16
Eagles: 24

Position Unit	1st Half	Final
Passing Offense	C+	C
Rushing Offense	B+	B+
Rushing Defense	C+	C+
Passing Defense	C+	C
Special Teams	C	D
Coaching	B	C

Final Analysis for Washington 

Pass Offense:

It was another game marred by inaccuracy for Robert Griffin III, who finished 17-of-35 for 274 yards, two scores and an interception.

Griffin continued to struggle behind a porous offensive line this week, but in addition to this, his receivers didn't do a great job of getting open, and the results were generally disastrous.

That being said, Griffin had plenty of wide-open guys today and his touchdown passes were more a result of his receivers' efforts (Darrel Young, Aldrick Robinson) than of the quarterback's.

Run Offense:

Alfred Morris deserves tons of credit today for his tough running and relentlessness. There were more than a handful of plays today where Morris didn’t have any business gaining decent yardage, but he did so thanks to his good vision and patience.

Even with 22 carries for nearly 100 yards, people will complain about the Redskins abandoning the run and not giving Morris enough carries, but this game clearly did not allow for the same balance through the final two quarters.

Run Defense:

Defending LeSean McCoy is no easy task no matter who you are, and on more than one occasion, the Redskins were duped by the elusive running back.

When the smoke cleared, the Redskins had limited McCoy to 77 yards—their second consecutive game of holding one of the league’s best to less than 100 yards. The two touchdowns by McCoy, however, one of which was a 16-yarder, won’t help the Redskins statistically.

Pass Defense:

Despite nearly 300 yards through the air, the Redskins didn’t allow a passing touchdown today. Silver lining, right?

The primary gripe regarding the Redskins pass defense is their inefficient and inconsistent pass rush. Even with guys like Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan on the edges, the Redskins can’t threaten a quarterback.

Lack of skill? Poor effort? Bad coaching? It's hard to say what the root cause is, but the hope now is that this defense will try some new things with nothing to lose from here on out.  

Special Teams:

Rookie returner Nick Williams was extremely lucky when he recovered his own muffed punt early in the game. However, allowing the Eagles to essentially gain 15 yards on a punt late in the fourth quarter is inexcusable.

It never fails. Every single week, this Redskins special teams unit fires up the fear in all of us. Keith Burns’ unit is inconsistent, extremely risky and liable to make things easier for the opposition every game.

Coaching:

After another loss, Kyle Shanahan will surely be berated tomorrow. And this time, there was some imbalance—only seven pass attempts in the first half. 

That seems to be what a majority of fans wanted the whole time though, right?

The Redskins defense played much better in the second half, holding the Eagles to multiple three-and-outs and actually giving the offense a chance.

Too little, too late? Perhaps. But at least the defense didn’t come out in the second half and continue to stink it up.

Still, if we’re going to talk about coordinators and coaches, the finger needs to be pointed at the entire staff. The team looked flat and uninspired today, and that’s especially disappointing given the stakes of this game and the 10 days they were provided to prepare.

First-Half Analysis for Washington 

Pass Offense:

The offensive line has struggled mightily against this Philadelphia defense through one half. The line can’t sustain blocks and are often blown up on poor execution, while running backs aren’t getting good chips when asked to pass protect.

Robert Griffin III missed a wide-open Logan Paulsen early in the game, sailing the pass well over the tight end’s head. Other than that, Griffin hasn’t had many opportunities to pass, completing four of just seven attempts.

Griffin’s interception occurred on the 5-yard line with the Redskins  threatening to score. Roy Helu missed his block and the Washington was blown up from his right by Connor Barwin, lifting the ball into the air and into the waiting hands of an Eagles defender.

Run Offense:

As usual, Alfred Morris is running with authority, dragging piles of defenders and finishing his runs with full steam. The offensive line has looked better in the run game, doing a decent job of getting a helmet on a defender.

Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has established the triple-option early, and as a result, Griffin has established himself as a running threat. In addition to his improvised scrambles, Griffin has also kept the ball on option plays and has seven rushes for 39 yards.

Run Defense:

Through one half, Shady has played like Shady. LeSean McCoy has been slippery against a poor-tackling Redskins defense and he’s capable of ripping off a large gain on virtually every touch.

Luckily for the Redskins, McCoy left the game late in the second quarter with an apparent hamstring injury. Sideline reports didn’t confirm whether it was a cramp or strain, so his return is still questionable.

McCoy had seven rushes for 37 yards and a score in the first half.

Pass Defense:

The Redskins have allowed 217 passing yards through one half, and the Eagles are far from finished.

Nick Foles hasn’t had to do anything spectacular, but he’s gotten the ball into his receivers’ hands and they have made plays.

Whether it’s DeSean Jackson using his speed to find space, McCoy causing mismatches against linebackers out of the backfield, Riley Cooper using his size to separate or Brent Celek finding his inner speed demon, the Redskins have struggled (and will likely continue to) against the Eagles pass offense.

Special Teams:

A new punt returner is in for the Redskins today, as Joshua Morgan is inactive and the recently promoted Nick Williams (slot receiver) gets his shot.

And that’s about it.

Punter Sav Rocca continues to struggle with short and wobbly kicks. Perhaps the Redskins should just avoid punting on anything less than three yards to go on fourth down.

Coaching:

Kyle Shanahan is off to another good start today. With an offensive line that can’t do much in pass protection and a rushing attack that’s working, Shanahan is sticking with what’s given to him. And although the Redskins don’t have any points, at least we know they can move the ball on this Eagles defense.

Turning the ball over in the red zone is never a good thing either.

On defense, still with an inconsistent pass rush, Jim Haslett needs to turn his guys loose. And that’s especially true if LeSean McCoy is out for the final two quarters of the game.

At 3-6 with nothing to lose and a division to gain, Haslett needs to show more of those speed blitz packages, find a way to get numerous pass-rushers on the field and attempt to shake Nick Foles. It’s Washington’s only chance at disruption and potential turnovers.