Washington Redskins vs Minnesota Vikings: Full Report Card Grades for Washington
Should've, would've and could've are words that come to mind when discussing the Washington Redskins' 29-26 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 9.
Similar to last season's meeting with the Vikings, the Redskins blew a double-digit lead in the first half. The same team that rattled the NFC-best Dallas Cowboys in Week 8 had no answer for the Teddy Bridgewater-led Vikings. Go figure.
Far from stellar in his return to the lineup, Robert Griffin III did enough for Washington to pull this contest out. Directing an offense that tallied 347 yards of total offense, the Skins had their third-best scoring output on the season.
Giving up 352 total yards to the NFL's 29th-ranked offense, this loss falls at the feet of the team's defense.
But let's get to the specifics. Here are the full report card grades for Washington.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Out of commission since Week 2, RG3 showed little signs of rust to open this contest. Griffin threw for 103 yards and completed all six of his passes in the first quarter.
Even with that said, as his final stat line would indicate (18 of 28 for 251 yards), Griffin had spells where he was ineffective as well.
Griffin's lone interception in the game gave the Vikings life. With the first half winding to a close, Minnesota parlayed his turnover into a touchdown drive that trimmed Washington's lead to three entering the break.
His interception wasn't his lone negative play, though. Griffin was sacked five times for a loss of 26 yards. While the 'Skins offensive line played a role in this, the sacks were also a result of Griffin holding on to the ball too long, as head coach Jay Gruden alluded to postgame, via the team's official Twitter account:
"GRUDEN:"Overall I think Robert came in & competed. I think he gave us a good chance to win...Took some sacks maybe he shouldn't have taken."
— Washington Redskins (@Redskins) November 2, 2014"
All told, mixing his highlights with his miscues, Griffin had the look of a player who hadn't played in over a month.
Grade: C+
Running Back
2 of 10
In welcoming back Griffin, the Redskins added another rushing threat to keep the focus off Alfred Morris. So it shouldn't be surprising to see that Morris had season highs in yards and touchdowns.
Toting the rock 19 times, he finished with 92 yards on the ground and, most importantly, averaged a healthy 4.8 yards per carry. Not known for his receiving skills, he also had two receptions for 17 yards.
Looking at backup Roy Helu, he too factored into the passing game. Helu finished with four receptions and 46 receiving yards.
Rushing for 122 yards on 29 attempts as a team, Washington exhibited the balance necessary to lessen the burden on Griffin's shoulders.
Grade: B
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Who needs chemistry? Despite limited snaps playing with Griffin, DeSean Jackson emerged from this contest as the quarterback's favorite receiver.
Targeted a team-high seven times, Jackson hauled in four receptions for 120 yards and a touchdown. It was his fifth game on the season of 100-plus receiving yards.
As for Griffin's favorite targets from a season ago, Jordan Reed and Pierre Garcon, they've had better days.
Garcon finished with just three receptions for 15 yards, while Reed garnered just one catch. It wasn't the most productive day for this unit, but much of that had to do with Griffin missing reads or the offensive line not giving him the requisite time to find open receivers.
In light of this, with the exception of a few drops, Washington's receiving corps got the job done.
Grade: B
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
Where to begin? While Morris did have his highest rushing total of the season, the run blocking from Washington's offensive line was anything but consistent. Of the team's 29 rushing attempts, seven went for negative gains.
Turning the attention to pass protection, this unit again came up short. Minnesota tallied five sacks and nine quarterback hits against the 'Skins offensive line. During one stretch in the third quarter, CSN Washington's Tarik El-Bashir captured the offensive line's ineptitude on this front:
"Griffin has been sacked on last three dropbacks.
— Tarik El-Bashir (@TarikCSN) November 2, 2014"
As stated previously, some of the blame falls on Griffin here. Still, with players like Spencer Long, Josh LeRibeus and Morgan Moses waiting in the wings, there's little reason for Gruden to stand pat with a group that has played subpar for most of the season.
Grade: D+
Defensive Line
5 of 10
While he was talking about the defense as a whole, the comments Ryan Kerrigan made postgame, via CSN Washington's Tarik El-Bashir, captured the performance the Redskins defensive line turned in:
"Kerrigan said the game was "a tale of two halves." Said defense got tails handed to them in third and fourth quarter.
— Tarik El-Bashir (@TarikCSN) November 2, 2014"
Surrendering just 14 yards rushing in the first half, Washington allowed 86 yards on the ground after intermission. More concerning, though, was this group's inability to keep Bridgewater in the pocket.
Not only did he rush for 20 yards, but he evaded Washington defenders on multiple occasions, turning what should've been negative gains into positive plays.
Although the performance was definitely an improvement over last week, as the strength of the defense, the play of the 'Skins defensive line left you wanting more.
Grade: C+
Linebackers
6 of 10
Despite the success the team had blitzing the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8, the Redskins didn't send too much pressure in Bridgewater's direction. Early on, it proved to be the right move.
Rushing just four defenders for the majority of snaps, the team's pass rush netted two sacks and three quarterback hits in the first 30 minutes. With the rookie quarterback dropping back to pass 30 times, though, you couldn't help but feel that Washington's pass rush could've done more, as noted by CSN Washington's Rich Tandler:
"#Redskins are getting some pressure on Bridgewater, 2 sacks, making him move. But still not as effective as it needs to be.
— Rich Tandler (@Rich_TandlerCSN) November 2, 2014"
Much like the defensive line, though, the production from this unit tailed off after halftime. Going against a Minnesota offensive line that was 31st in sacks allowed, mind you, the Redskins managed zero sacks and just two quarterback hits after the break.
A matchup it should've dominated, Washington's inability to pressure Bridgewater laid the groundwork for the Vikings to score 22 second-half points.
Grade: D+
Secondary
7 of 10
A week after corralling the Cowboys' array of receiving weapons, the Redskins secondary fell back to reality. Facing a Minnesota aerial attack that was 31st in passing yards, Washington allowed 268 yards through the air.
Most discouraging, this total came about despite the fact that the Vikings missed on several throws to open receivers deep downfield. Blowing a litany of assignments in coverage, though, Washington gave Minnesota ample opportunities to capitalize on its miscues.
Summing up the team's ineptitude on this front, The Washington Post's Mike Jones gave a blunt assessment of the 'Skins secondary:
"This defense that was so fierce against Dallas is very leaky today. Giving up play after play. Making Bridgewater look like a star.
— Mike Jones (@MikeJonesWaPo) November 2, 2014"
While Bashaud Breeland and David Amerson had their moments, namely holding Cordarrelle Patterson to one catch on seven targets, the team as a whole struggled, particularly in zone coverage. And as a result, Bridgewater completed over 60 percent of his throws.
With a performance like this, it's looking more and more like the secondary's showing against Dallas was just an outlier.
Grade: D
Special Teams
8 of 10
The team's winning streak may have ended, but the string of good performances from Washington's special teams lives on.
Going against an explosive return man in Patterson, the Redskins allowed an average of 21.0 yards per return.
Additionally, looking at their own return game, the Skins' Andre Roberts ripped off a 45-yard gain on a kickoff. Fresh off of winning the NFC's Special Teams Player of the Week award, Kai Forbath connected on both of his field-goal attempts.
Grade: B+
Coaching
9 of 10
Oh, how quickly things can change in a week's time. Lauded for their efforts in the team's upset win over the Cowboys, both Gruden and Jim Haslett had their share of questionable decisions in this one.
Despite going against a rookie quarterback, Haslett elected to not implement the blitz-heavy game plan that stumped one Tony Romo. With Bridgewater coming off a three-game stretch in which he threw five interceptions and was sacked 14 times, this decision was mystifying.
Given ample time to throw against zone coverage, the rookie picked his spots and predictably carved up Washington's maligned secondary.
As for Gruden, his choice of play calls on 3rd-and-short were highly questionable. A contributor to Grantland.com, Chris B. Brown detailed one such sequence:
"I hate that quick pitch playcall by Jay Gruden on that 3rd and 1. Either run it with power or fake and give Griffin a throw or run
— Chris B. Brown (@smartfootball) November 2, 2014"
Then there was Gruden's usage of Griffin.
After easing the quarterback into the offense to start the game, Gruden went away from the rollouts and quick-hitters that got Griffin in rhythm and confined him to the pocket. Still slow in going through his progressions, the result of this was either negative plays or Griffin missing open receivers.
All told, this was a game Washington should've won. With that said, the report card for the team's coaching staff isn't glowing.
Grade: C-
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | C+ |
| RB | B |
| WR/TE | B |
| OL | D+ |
| DL | C+ |
| LB | D+ |
| Secondary | D |
| Special Teams | B+ |
| Coaching | C- |
| Cumulative Grade | C- |
So much for a winning streak. There's no way around it, the team collapsed. The opportunity was there for the Redskins to blow open up the game at the end of the first half, and instead the team essentially handed the Vikings a mulligan.
From the game plan to its execution, it was a flawed performance from Washington. Entering its bye week, the team's focus should shift toward developing its young talent. Because at 3-6, the playoffs are all but a pipe dream at this point.
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