Seattle Seahawks vs. Washington Redskins: Full Report Card Grades for Washington
Coming off a 45-14 loss to the New York Giants, the Washington Redskins had the look of a different team in their 27-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
After unraveling behind six turnovers in Week 4, Washington held its composure in the face of a 17-point first-half deficit. Rallying to make it a one-score game, Washington's upset bid was undone by a spectacular performance from Russell Wilson.
Marred by injury, Washington allowed Wilson to pass for 201 yards and gain another 122 yards on the ground. Behind an aggressive approach on offense and defense, though, the Redskins were able to hang with the defending Super Bowl champs.
Despite facing Seattle's vaunted secondary, the Redskins showed little hesitation in challenging its Legion of Boom. Of the team's three scores, two were set up by deep passes to DeSean Jackson.
Shorthanded in the secondary, an array of blitzes stifled the Seahawks offense and kept Washington in the game. Done in once again by a special teams miscue, this wasn't enough for the team to end Kirk Cousins' six-game losing streak as a starter.
Going against a battered Arizona Cardinals team in Week 6, though, a similar performance could be enough to end this streak.
Enough of the future talk. Here are the position grades for Washington in Week 5.Quarterback
1 of 10
Coming off a dreadful showing his last time out, Cousins had his chance at redemption Monday night.
Going against the Seahawks' renowned secondary, he completed 21 of 36 passes for 283 yards, two touchdowns and, most importantly, no interceptions. Even with that said, Cousins still had his warts.
Completing just seven of his first 17 passes, his accuracy was uneven for much of the night. Although he threw a nice deep ball, particularly on his 60-yard touchdown connection with DeSean Jackson, Cousins struggled on the short and intermediate throws. Chief among them was an overthrown pass to Roy Helu that could've cut Seattle's lead to three points in the third quarter.
Nonetheless, in the face of pressure that a patchwork offensive line brought about, Cousins handled himself well and earned a passing grade.
Set to face the blitzing defense of the Cardinals in Week 6, tonight's outing is a positive sign that Cousins can avoid turnovers when he's under duress.
Grade: C+
Running Back
2 of 10
You know the stat by now. Washington is winless in games in which Alfred Morris carries the ball less than 15 times.
After averaging just 2.2 yards per carry though, en route to accumulating 29 rushing yards, you can't blame the team for not feeding Morris in this contest. Seattle showed its intent early on and was persistent in loading the box to stop Morris' runs.
With the exception being on a 2nd-and-long, the lanes weren't present for him to have a productive night. All wasn't lost from this position group, though.
While he too was thwarted on the ground, Roy Helu made plays in the passing game. Tallying 59 receiving yards for the game, Helu's five receptions, on seven targets, put him in a tie with Jackson for the team lead.
Be that as it may, these are players who are relied upon to be productive as rushers. Averaging just 1.9 yards per carry as a team, the grade of Washington's running backs has to match their subpar play.
Grade: D+
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Despite being down Jordan Reed once again, the Redskins entered this contest confident they could challenge Seattle's secondary, and they played like it.
Unafraid to take shots downfield, Washington had four gains of 18 yards or more in the passing game. Leading the way, Jackson had five receptions for 157 yards and one touchdown.
His most productive game in a Redskins uniform, Andre Roberts also tallied five receptions and had a touchdown. Noticeably absent, though, was Pierre Garcon. Opposed by Byron Maxwell for most of the night, he finished the game with just two receptions for 23 yards. Mind you, this is a guy who set the franchise record for receptions last season.
Akin to Garcon, in that he too was a forgotten man, Niles Paul had one reception for six yards. While this unit had its share of drops, garnering over 220 yards of offense, in spite of Cousins' wavering accuracy, against Seattle's secondary registers as a win.
Grade: B
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
In light of the fact that both of its starting tackles left this contest hobbled, Washington holding the Seahawks to just one sack is commendable. And let it be noted that on Michael Bennett's sack, it was Morris who surrendered it.
Be that as it may, this unit got absolutely no traction in the running game. The longest rush on the night was just 11 yards and the team had just 32 yards on the game.
Down Tyler Polumbus and Trent Williams at various junctures in the game, the team's passing game was also disjointed. With Tom Compton and Morgan Moses filling in as injury replacements, the Redskins struggled picking up blitzes and the result was rushed incompletions from Cousins.
Set to face a Cardinals defense that loves to dial up blitzes, this is a plight Washington will have to solve going forward.
Grade: C-
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Once one of the top rush defenses, Washington was again gashed in the running game. On 36 carries, Seattle had 225 rushing yards. Allowing 6.3 yards per carry, it wasn't just Wilson's scrambles that plagued this defense.
Overcoming a stiff back, Marshawn Lynch ran for 72 yards and, as is his trademark, had the majority of his yardage come after first contact.
But let's be real, it was the defensive front's inability to corral Wilson that was most damaging. In its fervor to get to the quarterback, the team's defensive linemen didn't always maintain their rushing lanes, and the end result was big plays from Wilson.
An uneven performance overall, one bright spot was Frank Kearse. Tallying one sack and five tackles, one of which was for a loss, Kearse was this unit's headline performer.
Grade: C
Linebackers
6 of 10
Although the defensive line played a part in Wilson's rushing bonanza, Washington's linebacking corps is just as liable, if not more.
While Wilson no doubt made some phenomenal plays, the Redskins' miscues aided him in doing so. There was Keenan Robinson failing to properly spy the quarterback, either playing too deep or not fixating his eyes on Wilson. Also, it was Ryan Kerrigan's undisciplined play early on that led to some of Wilson's biggest gains.
Even with that said, the reason Wilson was scrambling was because Washington's pass rush was getting consistent pressure. Some of the pressure came from blitzes, but it was a rare sight to see Wilson passing from a clean pocket.
Adding to his league-leading total, Kerrigan garnered his sixth sack of the season and forced the Seahawks' hand by making them send a double-team.
Unlikely to see a quarterback with Wilson's elusiveness, the amount of pressure the Redskins generated tonight will suffice going forward.
Grade: C+
Secondary
7 of 10
Down to Bashaud Breeland and David Amerson as its best corners, the secondary's inability to match up with Seattle's receivers forced defensive coordinator Jim Haslett to blitz heavily in an effort to mask this unit.
Playing off-coverage for most of the night, the secondary's plan was to concede short throws and limit the yards after catch, per CSN Washington's Rich Tandler:
"So the don’t get burned deep. Pick your poison. RT @RoderickWilson3: Why are they play off coverage every play? Redskins #dbacks
— Rich Tandler (@Rich_TandlerCSN) October 7, 2014"
Despite using this tactic, the Redskins still allowed Seattle to garner four receptions north of 19 yards. And if not for three Percy Harvin touchdowns called back by penalties, this number could've been worse.
For the game, Washington surrendered 201 passing yards to Wilson and allowed him to complete 75 percent of his throws. Considering the amount of time Wilson bought with his scrambles, though, the team's secondary held up reasonably well.
Grade: C+
Special Teams
8 of 10
Owners of one of the league's worst special teams units, the Redskins lived up to expectations and again turned in another dud here.
Conceding that it couldn't cover kicks, Washington sacrificed field position in its effort to kick away from Harvin on kickoffs. In light of the team's coverage on punts, this decision was all but justified.
Bryan Walters returned five punts for 54 yards and nearly broke two for scores. Not to be forgotten, there was also the Redskins' ill-fated attempt to recover an onside kick:
"Worst onside kick execution I've ever seen.
— Rich Tandler (@Rich_TandlerCSN) October 7, 2014"
Adding the icing to the cake, the game was effectively over when Jon Ryan converted a first down on a fake field goal late in the fourth quarter.
Grade: D-
Coaching
9 of 10
Playing with the hand they were dealt, both head coach Jay Gruden and Haslett did an adequate job coaching their players up.
Despite getting little production from his running game, abandoning the run was a last resort for Gruden. After seeing the position he put his quarterback in the previous week, Gruden knew he had to maintain a semblance of balance if he was to keep the Seahawks from teeing off on Cousins.
Furthermore, by challenging its secondary deep downfield, Gruden made Seattle hesitate when it came to sending blitzes against his battered offensive line.
Shifting the focus to Haslett's side of the ball, he worked a gem after some early struggles. Although his choice to play man-to-man coverage early led to Wilson gaining over 80 yards rushing in the first quarter, his decision to send pressure after halftime paid immediate dividends.
In the third quarter, Seattle only mustered one first down. By sacking Wilson three times and getting five quarterback hits on him, the pressure Haslett dialed up effectively covered a wounded secondary. If not for Wilson's mastery in evading the rush, these numbers probably would've been bolstered.
All told, after being chided for his conservative approach the past few weeks, it was a positive sign to see Haslett implement a more aggressive game plan. With the shortcomings the team has on defense, it's an approach he'll have to emulate going forward.
Grade: B-
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | C+ |
| RB | D+ |
| WR/TE | B |
| OL | C- |
| DL | C |
| LB | C+ |
| Secondary | C+ |
| Special Teams | D- |
| Coaching | B- |
| Cumulative Grade | C |
No, Washington didn't end its three-game losing streak Monday night. Still, in the aftermath of its blowout loss to the Giants, it didn't have the look of a 1-4 team either.
Falling behind 17-0 to the defending champs, the Redskins showed grit in clawing back into this contest. Marred by injuries on both sides of the ball, it's astounding that this game was even up for grabs in the fourth quarter.
Not on top of its game in any aspect, this game should serve as a reminder that if Washington limits its mistakes, it'll be in every game.
Going against a wounded Cardinals team in Week 6, a payoff could be on the horizon for the Redskins if they can build off this performance.
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