Tennessee Titans vs. Washington Redskins: Full Report Card Grades for Washington
The writing was on the wall for yet another Washington Redskins loss. Kirk Cousins was turning the ball over and the running game was nonexistent.
Sparked by backup Colt McCoy, though, Washington ended its four-game losing streak with a 19-17 win over the Tennessee Titans. Behind McCoy, the Redskins gained 351 total yards to Tennessee's 236.
Last in the NFL in takeaways entering the contest, Washington's defense matched its season total with two forced turnovers.
Now sporting a 2-5 record, which position group is most responsible for the team getting off the schneid?
Let's find out. Here are the full report card grades for Washington.
Quarterback
1 of 10
With Cousins under center, it's always been a tale of two halves. Typically, he plays well early and self-destructs late. Benched at halftime for McCoy, a wrench was thrown into the script this time around.
In a half of play, Cousins completed 10 of 16 passes for 139 yards. As always with him, he committed turnovers. Cousins had an interception and a fumble and was solely responsible for the 10 points Tennessee scored in the opening half.
Shifting the focus to McCoy, his first pass of the day went for 70 yards and a touchdown. But that wasn't the highlight of his afternoon. Completing 11 of his 12 throws on the day, McCoy saved his best for last.
Engineering a fourth-quarter comeback, McCoy connected on all four of this throws on the team's final 76-yard drive that culminated in Kai Forbath's game-winning field goal.
Not only did McCoy rescue the Redskins from another defeat, he also spared the team from getting another failing grade at quarterback.
Grade: B-
Running Back
2 of 10
Alfred Morris' promising start to the season is a distant memory at this point. For a third consecutive game, he averaged fewer than four yards per carry.
Finishing with just 54 rushing yards, Morris' lack of production isn't all on the backs of his offensive linemen.
Known for breaking tackles in the past, Morris is being brought down by the first defender he comes in contact with. Couple that with the struggles up front, and it's no wonder he hasn't cracked 100 rushing yards in any contest this year.
The team's third-down back, Roy Helu also had a limited impact. Lauded for his ability to make plays in the passing game, Helu's yardage total was in the negative (minus-nine in three receptions).
Regardless of who suits up at quarterback for the team, it'll be tough sledding for Washington's passing attack as long as the team's backs are ineffective.
Grade: C
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
They weren't called upon often with head Jay Gruden implementing a conservative game plan, but the team's pass-catchers stepped up when their numbers were called.
Needing to swing the momentum after a lackluster first half, Pierre Garcon promptly answered. On the team's second offensive play of the half, Garcon took an eight-yard pass from McCoy to the house for a 70-yard score. For the game, he had five receptions for 87 yards.
Living up to his big-play reputation, DeSean Jackson had 49 yards on three receptions. Additionally, he drew a late pass interference flag that positioned the team to kick the game-winning field goal.
Looking at the tight ends, Jordan Reed and Niles Paul combined for seven catches and 122 yards. In light of Washington's struggles in pass protection, it's a promising sign that this position group still managed to tally 250 yards through the air.
Grade: B+
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
While the cast of players changed along the team's offensive front, the result was the same. The Redskins' offensive line was consistently beaten at the point of attack and inhibited the team from opening up the offense.
While Washington had 100 rushing yards, that total only came about because of Gruden's insistence on running the ball. The team averaged only 3.8 yards per carry.
Be that as it may, pass protection was this unit's biggest shortcoming. The Redskins allowed two quarterback hits and three sacks. Unable to give the quarterback a clean pocket to throw from, Washington's offensive line forced Gruden to shuffle the lineup.
On multiple occasions, Tyler Polumbus and Tom Compton alternated possessions, netting the same result.
Seeing as this is a position group that was addressed in the draft, the time has come for rookies Spencer Long and Morgan Moses to get extended looks in the lineup. At this juncture, the play up front can't get any worse.
Grade: D
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The game plan for Washington's defense was to make Charlie Whitehurst win the game. Holding the Titans to 76 yards on the ground, the defensive line certainly did its part.
By clogging the rushing lanes of rookie back Bishop Sankey, the team kept Tennessee to a longest rush of 11 yards on the day.
Regaining the services of Stephen Bowen, the team's defensive front didn't wear down like it had in past games. Needing to run out the clock to ice the game with a 17-16 lead, Tennessee was stonewalled by the Redskins' defensive front.
With one quarterback hit and one sack, the Redskins' defensive line led the way for the team's defense.
Grade: B+
Linebackers
6 of 10
None of Washington's linebackers garnered a sack, but it wasn't due to a lack of effort. Countless times, this position group flustered Whitehurst and flushed him from the pocket.
Additionally, the team's pass rush forced Tennessee's linemen into committing holding penalties.
Tasked with covering Delanie Walker, the Titans' top pass-catcher, Keenan Robinson rose to the occasion. Targeted on five throws, Walker had just two receptions for 17 yards. Along with shutting down Walker, Robinson also tallied a team-high 14 tackles.
Not to be forgotten, Will Compton filled in admirably for Perry Riley and registered seven tackles.
While you'd like to see Washington's pass-rushers finish plays more frequently, this group did enough to stymie Tennessee's offense.
Grade: B
Secondary
7 of 10
Again relying heavily on backups Bashaud Breeland and E.J. Biggers, Washington's secondary again had an uneven performance.
There were highlights. Breeland had his first career interception and the Skins only allowed 160 yards passing.
With that said, the team's miscues were most memorable. Despite being surrounded by three Washington defenders, Kendall Wright still managed to score a 14-yard touchdown late in the first half courtesy of a missed tackle by Ryan Clark.
Putting the spotlight on Tennessee's other touchdown, Biggers was beaten badly at the line of scrimmage, and the end result was a 38-yard touchdown by Derek Hagan.
Factor in the penalties this unit was charged with, and it was yet another mediocre showing from the Redskins' secondary.
Grade: C+
Special Teams
8 of 10
Technically, Washington's special teams won the game. It was Forbath's 22-yard field goal that won the game, after all.
Connecting on all four of his kicks, Forbath also aided the team's kick coverage by tallying three touchbacks. On the three kicks the Titans did field, the Redskins held them to an average of 20.7 yards per return.
Then there's Niles Paul's recovery of a fumble on Dexter McCluster's muffed punt.
These are the Redskins' special teams we're talking about, though. There was bound to be a miscue somewhere.
Midway through the second quarter, Trent Murphy delivered just that. On a 4th-and-5 punt, the rookie jumped offside and handed the Titans a first down. While the mistake didn't come back to bite the team on the scoreboard, it's mental lapses like these that have to be eliminated going forward.
All things considered, for once, Washington's special teams were an asset and not a hindrance.
Grade: B
Coaching
9 of 10
Despite remaining steadfast throughout the week that he wouldn't consider a quarterback change, Gruden benched Cousins at halftime.
While the move looks good now because of the win, the biggest takeaway was that he was finally holding his players accountable. Sending the message that no player is entitled to playing time, Gruden is taking the proper steps to eradicate the losing culture that has engulfed the Redskins for years now.
As for his play-calling, Gruden emphasized ball control and ran the ball despite only moderate success. Changing his offense to fit McCoy's strengths, Gruden utilized rollouts and leaned heavily on quick passing plays.
Shifting the focus to the defensive side of the ball, Jim Haslett called a gem. When Tennessee scored, it was because of poor execution—not play calls.
Sending blitzes but also playing coverage, Haslett confused Whitehurst and masked his battered secondary.
Similar to play of their players, Washington's coaches turned in a solid outing.
Grade: B
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | B- |
| RB | C |
| WR/TE | B+ |
| OL | D |
| DL | B+ |
| LB | B |
| Secondary | C+ |
| Special Teams | B |
| Coaching | B |
| Cumulative Grade | B- |
Why can't the Redskins play the AFC South every week? Solid defense was a common trend in all three of the contests (two wins) against this division.
Then again, you could point to the opposing quarterbacks as a reason for that. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Chad Henne and Whitehurst don't exactly represent a gauntlet of signal-callers.
Be that as it may, Washington owes this victory to its defense. Solid in all three phases, which is a rarity, the Redskins will have to carry this performance over in Week 8 if they're to defeat the Dallas Cowboys.
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