Jaguars vs. Redskins: Full Report Card Grades for Washington
After an underwhelming start to the 2014 NFL season, the Washington Redskins won Jay Gruden's home debut in resounding fashion. Coming out of Week 2's action with a 41-10 victory over the hapless Jacksonville Jaguars, Washington was dominant on both sides of the ball.
Garnering 449 yards of total offense, the Redskins boasted the balanced attack that fans have long clamored for. Churning out 32 first downs, the team's offense lived in Jacksonville's territory. On six red-zone trips, Washington scored four touchdowns and two field goals.
Turning the focus to the defense, the Redskins had more sacks than Jacksonville had first downs. At one juncture in the second quarter, the Jags sported just one yard of total offense. Of the Jags' 87 first-half yards, 63 came on one play.
While the outcome of this contest was never in doubt, the same can't be said about the playing prospects of some notable Redskins players. Robert Griffin III and DeSean Jackson both exited this game with injuries.
The severity of their injuries is still unknown, but any prolonged absence from either could be a damaging blow to Washington's playoff prospects.
But back to this Week 2 bout. Here are the position grades for this contest.
Quarterback
1 of 10
No longer confined to the pocket, RG3 had a promising start in the home opener. After tallying just two yards rushing in Week 1, Griffin dusted off his wheels and the zone read and ran for 22 yards on two carries.
In the passing game, he completed two of three passes for 38 yards, with the lone incompletion a deep pass to Jackson that was questionably ruled incomplete.
But, as his numbers indicate, Griffin's success was short-lived. On a rollout near the sideline, Griffin connected with Jackson for a 19-yard gain but landed awkwardly on his left ankle.
While an MRI exam on his ankle is still pending, it hasn't stopped some, like ESPN's medical expert Dr. Mark Adickes, from speculating on the duration of time Griffin will miss:
"RGIII has dislocated left ankle. These generally occur with fracture so I think he is done for year.
— Dr. Mark Adickes (@jocktodoc) September 14, 2014"
Filling in for Griffin, Kirk Cousins completed 22 of 33 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns. In his first four possessions of the game, Cousins directed Washington's offense to three scores.
While the team's offense didn't miss a beat under Cousins' direction, you have to wonder going forward how he'll perform when teams prepare for him as the starter. Remember now, Cousins struggled in his three starts to end the 2013 season.
Even with that said, for the time being, nothing but praise can be sent in his direction. Playing turnover-free football, Cousins had a stellar outing.
Grade: B+
Running Back
2 of 10
The lone facet of Washington's offense that played up to par in Week 1, the strength of the team's rushing attack had many clamoring Gruden to run the ball more.
Well, consider that wish granted. The Redskins rushed the ball 42 times and had 191 rushing yards. While he didn't duplicate his showing from last week from an average standpoint, Alfred Morris did score two touchdowns and had 85 yards on the day.
With Roy Helu succumbing to a knee injury in this contest, according to Zac Boyer of The Washington Times, undrafted rookie Silas Redd made his NFL debut. Finishing with 41 yards, the highlight of Redd's performance was a 14-yard touchdown run that capped Washington's scoring for the game.
Although the explosive gains were sparse, the effectiveness of the team's rushing attack enabled the Redskins to utilize play-action passes.
Grade: B+
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
A look at the top pass-catchers from this contest and you'd think it was a preseason game. Leading the team in receiving for a second consecutive outing, Niles Paul made Jordan Reed's absence a non-story.
Paul had a career-high eight receptions for 99 yards and one touchdown. Trailing him were Andre Roberts and rookie Ryan Grant. Both Roberts and Grant finished the game with 57 yards receiving apiece, with Roberts edging Grant in receptions by a five-to-four margin.
Noticeably absent from the top of this list are Jackson and Pierre Garcon. As NBC's Dianna Marie Russini notes, Jackson suffered a shoulder injury:
"DeSean Jackson has a sprained shoulder. #Redskins
— Dianna Marie Russini (@NBCdianna) September 14, 2014"
In Garcon's case, though, injury wasn't the issue. Finishing with just one reception for 12 yards, Cousins' rapport with the backup receivers, in addition to Jacksonville shading its coverage his way, limited Garcon's production.
It may not have been from the players you're accustomed to seeing produce, but given the circumstances—the team had little incentive to pass the ball after halftime—this unit got the job done.
Grade: B+
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
Facing a Jaguars defense that registered five sacks in Week 1, Washington's offensive line handled itself well in pass protection. While there were multiple miscues on blitz pickups, the Redskins only allowed three sacks.
Further encouraging, the offensive line only allowed three quarterbacks hits. With more time to pass, the Redskins were able to attack Jacksonville down the field. Factor in the success of the team's running game, and this unit more than redeemed itself from a lackluster showing against the Houston Texans.
Still, the injury to Shawn Lauvao is concerning:
"Now Shawn Lauvao is down. AN injury on the o-line would be a big loss, on a day of big losses, despite the big win #RedskinsTalk
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayCSN) September 14, 2014"
It's well-documented that the offensive line, particularly the interior, is the weakness of this team. If Cousins is indeed forced to start in place of Griffin, this unit will no longer be bailed out by the mobility of the quarterback.
With Kory Lichtensteiger learning a new position and both Josh LeRibeus and Spencer Long lacking in experience, Lauvao's injury is one to monitor with the Philadelphia Eagles next up on the schedule.
Grade: B-
Defensive Line
5 of 10
What depth concerns? Already down Barry Cofield, Stephen Bowen, Kedric Golston and Chris Neild, Washington didn't have many healthy bodies to man its defensive line.
While one would think that this would lead to the team's defensive front succumbing to fatigue, this storyline never made the script.
With just eight first downs on the game, Jacksonville didn't stay on the field long enough for fatigue to set in. Furthermore, because of the lopsided score, the Jaguars only pounded the football 10 times—three of which came from Chad Henne.
Led by Jason Hatcher, this position group also registered 2.5 sacks. The lack of depth along the defensive line may be a factor against the uptempo attack Philadelphia boasts, but against Jacksonville, it was just business as usual.
Grade: A
Linebackers
6 of 10
With the moves the team made in the NFL draft and free agency, it was always apparent that the team's linebackers would be the heart of the defense.
Against the Jaguars, you witnessed why. Washington's front seven wreaked havoc all game and tied a franchise record with 10 sacks, 7.5 which came from linebackers.
Leading the way, Ryan Kerrigan had a game to remember. He had a career-high four sacks. Joining him in the fun were Perry Riley, Keenan Robinson and Brian Orakpo.
A resounding response to getting shutout against Houston, it appears the Redskins will have little trouble surpassing the 36 sacks they posted in 2013.
Grade: A+
Secondary
7 of 10
Who knew Brandon Meriweather was so valuable? With his two-game suspension now served, Redskins fans can now take solace in the fact that Bacarri Rambo will be banished back to the bench.
As was the case in Week 1, Rambo was the culprit on a long scoring play. Grossly misplaying the football, Rambo allowed tight end Marcedes Lewis to score a 63-yard touchdown.
There was a positive from Rambo's poor play, though. It opened the door for Trenton Robinson to play. Finishing the day as the team's leading tackler, Robinson also did what Rambo couldn't do; he showed his chops in coverage:
"Trenton Robinson doing what Bacarri Rambo proved incapable of doing... cover. #Redskins
— Emmanual Benton (@Manny_PPI) September 14, 2014"
Robinson also logged the lone turnover the team forced with a fourth-quarter interception.
While the secondary was spared by an inept Jaguars offense and only surrendered 123 passing yards, the miscues in coverage have to be cleaned up. In addition to Lewis' long gain, Allen Robinson netted a 54-yard reception. If not for a dropped pass by Allen Hurns, there are three big plays and probably a touchdown we're discussing right now.
With the love all the Redskins' division rivals have for the deep ball, this is a plight that could doom the team down the road.
Grade: C+
Special Teams
8 of 10
What a difference Roberts makes. One of the worst return units a season ago, Roberts averaged 8.4 yards on seven punt returns and had a long gain of 37 yards.
Looking at what ailed the team in Week 1, there were no blocked kicks to speak of. Despite entering the game with a groin injury, Kai Forbath nailed both his field-goal attempts. While Washington's offense didn't give him many opportunities to kick, punter Tress Way averaged 49.8 yards per punt.
An issue on punts last week, the kick coverage was shoddy on kick returns this time. Jordan Todman averaged 27.4 yards per return and had a long gain of 40 yards.
This showing won't garner much attention because of the large margin of victory, but against an evenly matched opponent, as was the case last week, Washington's play on special teams could decide the game.
Grade: C+
Coaching
9 of 10
Maligned for a passive defense and pass-centric offense in the team's loss to Houston, both defensive coordinator Jim Haslett and Gruden redeemed themselves against Jacksonville.
Content with surrendering short gains to Ryan Fitzpatrick in Week 1, Haslett went after Henne with an array of different looks, and the end result was 10 sacks:
"Skins have done a good job getting rushers free. causing little confusion, that extra second all they need
— John Keim (@john_keim) September 14, 2014"
Shifting the focus to the offense, Gruden was less predictable with his play calls:
"Man, Jay Gruden is on a roll with his play sheet. Jax has no idea what’s coming at them.
— Rich Tandler (@Rich_TandlerCSN) September 14, 2014"
Despite being down his top weapons, Washington remained efficient throughout the contest. Going 6-of-14 on third downs, the balance of Gruden's offense enabled the team to have a time of possession of almost 40 minutes.
With the 11 penalties the team tallied the lone black mark, there's little to complain about when it comes to Washington's coaches.
Grade: A
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | B+ |
| RB | B+ |
| WR | B+ |
| OL | B- |
| DL | A |
| LB | A+ |
| Secondary | B- |
| Special Teams | C+ |
| Coaching | A |
| Cumulative Grade | A- |
Putting an end to its nine-game losing streak, Washington played up to its vast potential in an emphatic victory. Even with that said, it's hard to overlook the opponent the team just demolished.
While the Redskins simply did what any good team is supposed to, Jacksonville's ineptness masked some of the team's deficiencies. Making a big leap up by playing the Eagles in Week 3, Washington can't be content with its play if it's to challenge Philadelphia for the NFC East crown.
All stats are courtesy of ESPN.com.
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