Buccaneers vs. Redskins: Full Report Card Grades for Washington
They started at the bottom, and the Washington Redskins are surely staying there. After suffering a 27-7 defeat at the hands of the hapless Tampa Bay Buccaneers, that's the only thought one can have when discussing this team.
Not only did the Skins have three turnovers, but they were outgained by the Bucs and their 29th-ranked offense.
If posting its lowest scoring output since the season opener wasn't bad enough, Washington's offensive woes came at the hands of the NFL's second-worst defense. There are a few choice words that you could use to describe the team's performance, but the devil is in the details.
With that said, here are the full report card grades for Washington in Week 11.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Down its top corner and already allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete 68 percent of their throws, Tampa Bay was the perfect team for Robert Griffin III to break out against.
Instead, though, he collapsed. Griffin was picked off on the first play of the game and was solely responsible for the game's first touchdown, a 19-yard interception return by Johnthan Banks.
While he did have a stretch where he completed 10 consecutive throws, one of which was a 30-yard touchdown pass, Griffin was never at ease in the pocket. And the end result of that was six sacks and 11 hits on the quarterback.
Even when he wasn't under duress, though, he left big plays on the field. Griffin missed on two opportunities to connect with DeSean Jackson for sure touchdowns.
Outside of the plays he made as a scrambler (41 yards on six carries), Griffin was ineffective and actually regressed from his previous game.
Grade: D
Running Back
2 of 10
Alfred Morris was again held under 100 yards rushing, extending his drought to 17 games. Nonetheless, this was more a result of the score than his performance.
On 20 carries, Morris churned out 96 yards. Not known for his receiving skills, he also chipped in two receptions for 36 yards.
Looking at backup "running back" Roy Helu, he too factored into the passing game. In fact, he finished the day as Washington's top receiver. He had six catches, 57 yards and the team's lone touchdown.
Rushing for 155 yards as a team, Washington's ground attack did its part to keep game close. With Griffin still looking shaky as a passer, this is the type of performance the Skins will need from Morris and Co. going forward.
Grade: B+
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Hamstrung by an ineffective Griffin, Washington's receiving weapons never got on track in this one. One of the NFL's hottest receivers entering this contest, Jackson exited the game with just 35 yards on four receptions.
Continually a forgotten man within this offense, Pierre Garcon had just one catch for six yards on the day. As a group, the team's receivers and tight ends caught 12 of 19 targets for 101 yards.
There were some drops, namely Niles Paul's to start the game, but for the most part these numbers are indicative of an offensive line that struggles in pass protection and a quarterback who is slow going through his progressions.
So while the numbers don't support it, this position group deserves a positive grade.
Grade: B-
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
The numbers don't lie. With six sacks and 11 quarterback hits on its rap sheet, Washington's offensive line played poorly, flat out. Still, in light of the losses this unit suffered, this performance wasn't without reason.
All-Pro Trent Williams was lost in the first quarter with an apparent knee injury:
"Gruden said LT Trent Williams has an MCL injury and ankle sprain. Will have an MRI tomorrow.
— Washington Redskins (@Redskins) November 16, 2014"
Joining him on the sidelines later in the contest was starting left guard Shawn Lauvao:
"LG Shawn Lauvao will miss the rest of the game with a concussion. #Redskins
— Brian McNally (@bmcnally14) November 16, 2014"
Struggling in pass protection with Morgan Moses and Josh LeRibeus in as replacements, the Redskins were forced to lean heavily on short passes. Ultimately, while this unit did pave the way for some solid gains in the screen game, the team's offensive front turned in yet another forgettable performance.
Grade: D
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Seeing his first action since Week 1, Barry Cofield made a triumphant return to the lineup. Garnering additional time with Chris Baker banged up, Cofield had a sack, one quarterback hit and a tackle for loss in limited action.
Brought on to bolster the team's pass rush in the offseason, Jason Hatcher was one of the few Redskins to touch Josh McCown, as he lead the team with two quarterback hits.
Going against one of the NFL's worst rushing teams, the Skins' defensive front stuck to the script. The Bucs were held to 48 yards on 21 carries.
With the San Francisco 49ers and their ninth-ranked rushing attack up next, Washington will need a similar effort in Week 12.
Grade: B-
Linebackers
6 of 10
The strength of Washington's defense is its pass rush, right? If so, you wouldn't have known it watching this contest.
Despite countless blitzes, the Skins hardly breathed on McCown. As a result, the quarterback went bombs away against the Redskins secondary and averaged 19.2 yards per completion.
The team leader in sacks with 7.5, Ryan Kerrigan didn't register so much as a quarterback hit against Tampa Bay's Demar Dotson.
As for Keenan Robinson, he again led the team in tackles with seven. Steadily improving, rookie Trent Murphy registered a sack for a second consecutive game.
All told, with Tampa's shortcomings in pass protection, the play of Washington's linebackers warrants a negative grade.
Grade: D
Secondary
7 of 10
Where to begin? How about Mike Evans. The rookie wideout was the Buccaneers passing game, literally. Of their 281 yards through the air, Evans accounted for 209 of it.
Catching seven of McCown's 15 completions, Evans delivered big play after big play. And similar to what you've seen from Washington's secondary all season, blown coverages and poor communication was the root cause.
On Evans' first touchdown, a miscommunication in coverage between Ryan Clark and Bashaud Breeland led to him getting behind the defense for a 35-yard score.
As for his 56-yard touchdown, it was simply a missed assignment. Perry Riley—that's right, the linebacker—was somehow left in one-on-one coverage with the Texas A&M product.
While the team's pass rush bears some responsibility here, Washington's secondary stood out as the weakest link.
Grade: D-
Special Teams
8 of 10
Entering the bye week, the Skins special teams unit had a string of solid performances. Kai Forbath had made 10 consecutive field goals; he even won the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. Then there's punter Tress Way. He owned the NFL's best punt average.
While Way continued his stellar play, Forbath took a dive off the deep end. Known in the past to struggle on longer kicks, he missed wide right on attempts from 47 and 51 yards out. Worsening matters, they occurred at a time when Washington was still in the game. The deficit at the time of both misses was six points.
In terms of kick coverage, the Redskins excelled. The Bucs averaged just 13.5 yards per kick return, and they muffed their lone punt return.
A mixed bag of good and bad, the impact of Forbath's missed kicks weighs down this unit's grade.
Grade: D+
Coaching
9 of 10
With the team's Week 9 loss to the Minnesota Vikings serving as a reminder, defensive coordinator Jim Haslett blitzed with reckless abandon against the Buccaneers.
Evidenced by Evans' big numbers and the defense's low sack totals, it backfired.
While you can't fault him for trying to manufacture a pass rush, it was evident early on that it wasn't working. Knowing that Tampa Bay has struggled to engineer long drives all season, the more prudent approach would've been to concede throws underneath—or at the very least, just don't have a linebacker covering a receiver!
Shifting the focus to head coach Jay Gruden, he turned in an uneven performance.
At one end, there's how he adjusted to Tampa Bay's use of blitzes. Seeing that his line couldn't handle the pressure, his decision to lean heavily on screen passes paid dividends. Not only did it calm his quarterback and get him into a rhythm, but it gave his team momentum going into the halftime break.
But it's after intermission that Gruden's performance tailed off. Washington's running game was clicking, and he all but abandoned it in the second half. After rushing for 69 yards on 14 carries in the first half, Morris touched the ball just six times after halftime.
Then there's his usage of Griffin. Gruden went away from the screens and quick-hitters that got him 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 prematurely scrambling and missing open receivers.
It comes down to this, though. The Redskins lost by 20 points to a one-win team that they had two weeks to prepare for. If that's not failure, then what is?
Grade: F
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | D |
| RB | B+ |
| WR/TE | B- |
| OL | D |
| DL | B- |
| LB | D |
| Secondary | D- |
| Special Teams | D+ |
| Coaching | F |
| Cumulative Grade | D |
It's official: The Redskins have reached the low point of their season. The team dug itself a hole in the same fashion it has all season, with turnovers and penalties.
From the game plan to its execution, it was another in a long line of flawed performances from Washington. Injuries have already forced young players into prominent roles. With the playoffs out of the question, the time has come for the team to fully embrace a youth movement as it gears up for the 2015 season.
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