Washington Redskins vs. Dallas Cowboys: Full Report Card Grades for Washington
Sparked by their third-string quarterback and an aggressive defense, the Washington Redskins closed the NFL's Week 8 slate with a 20-17 overtime victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night.
Avenging last year's season sweep, the Redskins tallied 409 total yards en route to pulling off the upset. Although their defense was giving, it was a moot point because of the two turnovers and five sacks it garnered.
With the Skins now sporting a 3-5 record, with two other sub-.500 teams on deck, the trek to .500 isn't as daunting as it once appeared.
But which position group deserves the credit for the turnaround? Let's find out.
Here are the full report-card grades for Washington.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Solid in relief of Kirk Cousins in Week 7, Colt McCoy did what his predecessor never could Monday night. He started, finished and won a game.
While his first-half performance left a lot to be desired due to an interception and a pair of under throws to DeSean Jackson, McCoy settled in during the second half.
Finishing 25-of-30 for 299 yards, he completed 14 of his final 15 passes. Frustrating Dallas with his mobility, he also scored on a perfectly executed quarterback draw in the fourth quarter.
Leading Washington to its second consecutive come-from-behind victory, McCoy has shown that he was the ideal backup for Robert Griffin III all along. As a player who limits his mistakes and takes what the defense gives him, he's a stark contrast to the turnover-prone Cousins.
His start may be a one-time cameo with Griffin's return looming, but, with Griffin's injury history, it's comforting to know that quarterback depth isn't a glaring weakness on the team's flawed roster.
Grade: B+
Running Back
2 of 10
Tallying just 23 yards rushing in the first half, the Skins utilized a variety of methods to breathe life into their running game.
Prior to the game, head coach Jay Gruden made changes along the offensive line, starting Tom Compton in place of Tyler Polumbus. With the rushing attack still not netting yards, the changes didn't stop there.
In place of a struggling Alfred Morris, who had just 11 yards on five carries at the break, Gruden turned to rookie Silas Redd and Roy Helu toward the end of the half. While this too brought about unpleasant results, Morris got the memo. On 13 second-half carries, Morris churned out 62 yards.
Gaining yards after contact and decisive in making cuts, Morris finally had the look of the player who ran for nearly 3,000 his first two NFL seasons.
Rushing 31 times for 123 yards as a team, Washington exhibited balance in this contest, which Gruden needs to continue when Griffin makes his return under center.
Grade: B-
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
The quarterback under center was a different one, but the results were the same for Jackson. Washington's headlining free-agent acquisition has lived up to his billing, which is a rarity for a Daniel Snyder signee.
Hauling in six passes for 136 yards, Jackson would have had even greater numbers had he received better throws from his quarterback. Be that as it may, his ability to stretch the field gave McCoy ample room to operate in the short-to-intermediate area.
One of the biggest beneficiaries of this was Jordan Reed. Although he tallied just 40 yards, he was a safety blanket for McCoy and caught all seven of his targets. The third banana once again in the team's receiving hierarchy, Pierre Garcon finished with four receptions for 47 yards.
With the exception of Andre Roberts, who managed to catch just one of his five targets, the wideouts picked up their quarterback, namely by accumulating yards after the catch.
Grade: A-
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
A glaring weakness all year long, the team's struggles up front called for a lineup change. But with Compton filling in for Polumbus, for a half anyway, it appeared much hadn't changed.
The rushing attack was non-existent, and McCoy was under constant duress. Like much of the offense, though, things picked up after intermission.
Washington ran for 100 yards, and McCoy had a clean pocket to throw from after halftime. Despite the positive ending, though, the lack of consistency up front has to be addressed.
If not for McCoy's ability to elude the rush, his sack total of three would have been a lot higher. Mind you, the Redskins offensive line was facing a Cowboys defense that had just seven sacks through seven games. Additionally, this unit had surrendered 4.9 yards per rush, a number Washington fell short of by nearly a yard.
So while kudos goes to Gruden for not sticking with the status quo, it appears his work isn't done yet.
Grade: C
Defensive Line
5 of 10
On the strength of its defensive line, Washington hadn't allowed a 100-yard performance from a running back since the season opener.
Against the NFL's league-leading rusher, DeMarco Murray, that stat quickly went out the window. Dominated at the point of attack, the Skins were gashed for 166 yards, 141 of which came from Murray.
More astounding, though, the team surrendered an average of 6.6 yards per carry. Factor in its poor effort in pressuring the quarterback, and the defensive line was far and away the team's weakest link.
Grade: D-
Linebacker
6 of 10
The struggles along the defensive line did extend to the linebackers as well. They too had a starring role in Murray's breakout performance, and that was in coverage as well as run defense.
Additionally, a pair of blown coverages factored into Jason Witten's line of five receptions, 70 yards and a touchdown.
It wasn't all struggles from Washington's linebacking corps. Via the blitz, this position group caused havoc in Dallas' backfield. Keenan Robinson, Perry Riley and Ryan Kerrigan combined for three sacks and six tackles for loss. A notable omission, though, is one Trent Murphy.
Filling in for the injured Brian Orakpo, Murphy's claim to fame was a dropped interception. Finishing with just one tackle, he gave way to Everette Brown, who too had a limited impact.
All things considered, with all the negative plays the Cowboys were forced into, the good outweighed the bad in the case of the linebackers.
Grade: B-
Secondary
7 of 10
Going against the likes of E.J. Biggers, David Amerson and Bashaud Breeland, you would think that Dallas' receivers would have a field day.
But of the Cowboys' 224 passing yards, only 110 came from receivers. Most notably, Dez Bryant was held to three catches for 30 yards. While he did add to his highlight reel with a five-yard touchdown reception in which he carried a Washington defender into the end zone, Bryant was neutralized.
Albeit with Brandon Weeden throwing him the ball, Bryant was denied on back-to-back throws in the end zone by Bashaud Breeland. In easily his best performance of the year, Breeland had four passes defensed and a forced fumble.
Not to be forgotten, Brandon Meriweather had an outing to remember. Utilized often as a blitzer, he had two sacks, two tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
With the exception of some missed tackles early, namely from Ryan Clark, the secondary had a stellar showing.
Grade: A
Special Teams
8 of 10
Could we be seeing improvement from Washington's special teams?
After making glaring miscues earlier in the season, this unit contributed positively for the second consecutive outing. And what a coincidence—they were both wins.
Connecting on both of his attempts, Kai Forbath hit a 40-yard field goal in overtime that proved to be the game-winner. Looking at punter Tress Way, of his five punts, three were downed inside the 20-yard line.
While the team didn't return any kickoffs because of touchbacks, Roberts did give the Skins good field position on their opening drive with a 37-yard punt return.
All things told, Washington's special teams were an asset. But savor that while it lasts.
Grade: B+
Coaching
9 of 10
Tony Romo has been called a lot of things in his career, and not all were pleasant. But "unprepared" or "confused" are two that don't come to mind.
Flustered by defensive coordinator Jim Haslett's blitzes, and his bluffs to do so, Romo never found his comfort zone. He was sacked five times, and his QBR of 16.1 was his lowest of the season. Furthermore, he didn't connect on any of his throws downfield. His longest pass for the game was 34 yards, and that came on a screen.
To sum it up, down his top corner and arguably his top pass-rusher, Haslett's game plan was masterful—a sentiment ESPN's John Keim can attest to:
"Defense set the tone on the first series tonight... Not doing an @Russellmania980 bit, but Haslett had a strong game plan and game
— John Keim (@john_keim) October 28, 2014"
Recovering from a lackluster showing in the first half for a second consecutive week, Gruden deserves a round of applause as well. While the delay-of-game penalties were a big issue and did cost the team a field-goal attempt late, Gruden made the proper adjustments in this one.
After lulling the Cowboys to sleep with run after run on first down, he finally dialed up a pass, and the result was 45-yard connection between McCoy and Jackson. Furthermore, his call for a quarterback draw on 3rd-and-goal caught Dallas off guard and resulted in a touchdown.
Playing to McCoy's strengths by moving the pocket and providing quick reads, Gruden didn't put too much on his shoulders, and thus McCoy didn't look like a quarterback who hadn't started in nearly two years.
Grade: A
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | B+ |
| RB | B- |
| WR/TE | A- |
| OL | C |
| DL | D- |
| LB | B- |
| Secondary | A |
| Special Teams | B+ |
| Coaching | A |
| Cumulative Grade | B+ |
Gone is their nine-game losing streak on the road. Gone is their eight-game losing streak against NFC East foes. Starting backups, even third-stringers, in place of many of their star players, the Redskins did the impossible against the Cowboys on Monday.
Even though the outcome was in doubt for much of the night, this victory registers as the most impressive of Washington's season thus far.
Solid in all phases, if the Redskins can carry this type of performance over to their next two games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Minnesota Vikings, their playoff hopes may not be so grim after all.
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