Young Defensive Stars Provide Silver Lining for Washington Redskins

Finding silver linings is a fact of life when you're a fan of a losing team. Washington Redskins fans can't avoid doing it, the way their team can't escape its 3-8 record.

But if you're looking for a silver lining following Week 12's 17-13 road loss to the San Francisco 49ers, how about the fact few members of the 49ers offense could escape Washington's burgeoning young defensive stars.

Inside linebacker Keenan Robinson, cornerback Bashaud Breeland, pass-rusher Trent Murphy and even little-used safety Phillip Thomas all delivered stellar performances.

Those performances formed the backbone of a defensive effort that restricted San Fran to just 66 yards rushing and forced three turnovers. Had it not been for a still infuriatingly inconsistent offense, along with some late and costly special teams penalties, Washington's defense would've won the game in the Bay Area.

USA TODAY Sports

Just to keep everyone happy, let's account for some mitigating factors. The 49ers aren't the offensive juggernaut they were during the '80s and '90s.

In fact, this season's unit ranks 20th in points and 19th in yards. They also tried to be a little too clever against Washington.

Faced with regular eight-man fronts, offensive coordinator Greg Roman didn't have confidence in the usual overloaded lines and power-based running, instead favoring first-down passing. But these factors shouldn't take too much away from the play of Washington's 10th-ranked defense and its youthful playmakers.

Considering this D has been shredded by the Minnesota Vikings and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in recent weeks, this performance represented significant improvement.

But it was an improvement made possible by the team's growing clutch of talent on the defensive side of the ball. Robinson is undoubtedly at the head of this precocious group.

The 2012 fourth-round pick has gone from too fragile to even get on the field, to the replacement for London Fletcher. Robinson is more than justifying his responsibility as unit signal-caller.

As he's been all season, Robinson was a typically speedy and active tackling demon against the 49ers. Dynamic athleticism is the defining feature of his game, but few probably knew just how dynamic and athletic Robinson really is until they saw him repeatedly corral Colin Kaepernick.

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

The dual-threat 49ers quarterback usually torments defenses with his legs. His field-stretching speed and impossibly long strides mean a big gain is never far away whenever Kaepernick morphs from passer to runner.

That is, except when Robinson is playing spy. Kapernick couldn't shake free from Robinson all game. The linebacker's closing quickness and sure tackling technique were awesome.

Robinson's early efforts were especially impressive, as NBC reporter Dianna Marie Russini noted:

He was primarily responsible for limiting Kaepernick to a pitiful 14 yards on nine runs, with a longest gain of just seven. But Kaepernick wasn't the only member of the San Fran offense who couldn't escape Robinson's clutches, as 106.7 The Fan host Grant Paulsen described:

Make no mistake, the Redskins have a real keeper here. Robinson is fast becoming a linebacker who's not only active, but one who makes plays in the right areas.

His versatility means he's a player coordinator Jim Haslett needs on the field in any personnel package. That makes him the type of linebacker who lends true flexibility to a defense.

Robinson finished with eight combined tackles, headlined by seven solo stops. As he was covering ground and tackling anything that moved, a player in front of him was also making quite an impression.

Rookie outside linebacker Murphy was doing precisely what Washington drafted him for. Namely, he was making impact plays behind the line of scrimmage.

Against San Francisco, the former Stanford man made himself a force against the run, as well as a consistent threat to Kaepernick. For the former, Murphy showed good technique to drop Frank Gore for an early loss that set the tone for Washington's stingy run defense.

ESPN.com Redskins reporter John Keim described the play:

Later, Murphy force a critical fumble by Gore in the fourth quarter. The way he swatted the ball loose served as a textbook visual aid of how to create takeaways in the pros. It was Murphy's second forced fumble in as many games.

That's ample evidence of his growing confidence as a playmaker. That attribute should be the first thing teams look for in defensive draft picks.

Even though he didn't register a sack, Murphy was also a threat rushing the passer. He acted as a standing, roving blitzer to play a key role in Ryan Kerrigan's second quarter sack.

Murphy rushed from the same side as Kerrigan and drew the double team from Gore and right guard Alex Boone that let Kerrigan come free:

CBS Sports and NFL.com Game Pass.

That's exactly the kind of impact Murphy is supposed to make. He was drafted to add more variety and pressure to the sub-package defense.

Murphy, who led college football in sacks last season, already has that knack. Contract rebel and oft-injured nominal starter Brian Orakpo must know he's job is in jeopardy.

So just for a checklist, that's four solo tackles, including a tackle for loss, in the running game, as well as a key pressure and a forced fumble. Not bad for a first-year pro playing hurt.

That fumble was scooped up by Thomas. The fourth-round pick in 2013, who's been blighted by injury, established a niche for those kind of plays at the collegiate level.

Thomas' final season at Fresno State saw him force a quartet of fumbles and notch the same number of sacks. He also recorded 12 tackles for a loss and snatched eight interceptions, per CFBStats.com.

Thomas was released during the offseason, but made it back when injuries mounted in the secondary. He's always seemed like a player a safety-needy team should give a longer look. Maybe his brief but positive cameo in California will be a precursor of better things to come.

One player already delivering better things is rookie corner Breeland. In fact, this season's fourth-rounder is proving a lethally quick study.

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

He has graduated from potential sub-package defensive back at the start of the season, to the team's best cornerback. Against the 49ers, Breeland made five combined tackles and broke up one pass he nearly intercepted after hanging over a deep pass intended for Stevie Johnson and timing his leap perfectly.

Paulsen already feels comfortable assigning Breeland star status, a sentiment no doubt shared by many Washington fans:

Breeland is currently the cornerstone of a secondary that still needs work. But whatever retooling does take place, he will remain central to the success of this defense. The trick will be building around him with the right players.

The great news for Washington is that Breeland is just one of several building blocks for what could soon be a significant defensive revival. With Murphy, Robinson and leading pass-rusher Kerrigan, Breeland forms a group of marquee playmakers that could provide a few more wins this season, instead of just silver linings.

All statistics via NFL.com.

Screen shot courtesy of CBS Sports and NFL.com Game Pass.