Redskins vs. 49ers: Full Report Card Grades for Washington
Only the Washington Redskins could get blown out by one of the NFL's worst teams one week, and then turn around and nearly upset a perennial power. Such was the case in Washington's 17-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 12.
Behind a resurgent rushing attack, the Skins were in control for much of the second half. But in typical fashion, the team collapsed late and succumbed to a Niners fourth-quarter comeback.
You want specifics, though, right?
Okay, let's take a look at the full report card grades for Washington in Week 12.
All stats courtesy of ESPN.com.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Oh, where to begin?
Robert Griffin III entered the game with chatter about his job security. While he never got the hook, as has been the case all season, he wavered between awful and mediocre all afternoon.
For the game, he completed 11 of 19 passes for a meager 107 yards. With Griffin being sacked five times, the team's net passing total was 77 yards.
It's true an injured offensive line limited Griffin from taking more shots downfield. But more than anything, his propensity for locking onto targets and not going through his progressions was his ultimate downfall.
On multiple occasions, Griffin went with his checkdown receiver before surveying the field and he left big plays on the field in the process.
Then there's his production on third downs. The team converted just two of 13 third-down attempts. Additionally, Washington tallied just four first downs through the air.
At the end of the day, the position RG3 plays is judged by wins and losses. With Washington 0-9 in the last nine games that he both started and finished, as head coach Jay Gruden alluded to pregame, via ESPN.com, "the clock is ticking" on the quarterback to prove his worth.
Grade: D
Running Back
2 of 10
The Redskins may not have won anything with RG3 under center, but don't say he hasn't had a positive effect on Alfred Morris.
Since Week 9, Morris has ran for 313 yards and three scores. More importantly, for the first time in a calendar year, he eclipsed the 100-yard barrier. On 25 rushes, he broke tackle after tackle in route to gaining 125 yards on the game.
Single-handedly carrying the offense, as Grant Paulsen of 106.7 The Fan notes, what makes Morris' performance more impressive is the fact that his yardage came against stacked fronts:
"This isn't just Alfred Morris' best yardage game of the season. He's also made more guys missed than he has in any other game. Stellar.
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) November 23, 2014"
The first back to tally over 100 yards rushing in the Niners' new digs, Morris turned in a Grade-A performance.
Grade: A
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Same story, different week. The Skins' passing totals may paint a picture that casts the team's receivers as ineffective, but similar to last week's loss, the opportunity never came knocking for them to produce.
Under pressure for most of the game, Griffin's eyes were fixated more on the 49ers pass rush then his receivers downfield—who were open, by the way.
For the second consecutive week, the explosive DeSean Jackson was held under 40 yards. Continuing to disappear into an abyss, Pierre Garcon finished with three catches and 34 yards on the day.
While Jordan Reed's absence was certainly felt in this contest, once again, Washington's receivers were victims of poor play from the offensive line and the quarterback.
Grade: C
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
Let's start things off with a disclaimer: Trent Williams didn't play!
Seeing how Williams couldn't even handle the likes of Aldon Smith and Justin Smith in last season's matchup, Morgan Moses never really stood a chance in his first NFL start:
"Morgan Moses may well be a good player, [most likely at ORT] but he'll never be a good 1 on 1 match-up for Aldon Smith.
— Bill Carroll (@elevenbravo138) November 23, 2014"
Although he had his moments, mainly as a run-blocker, it was Moses who surrendered Justin Smith's game-ending strip-sack of Griffin.
Don't get it twisted, though. Washington's offensive line struggled as a unit in pass protection. On Griffin's first 10 dropbacks, he was sacked twice and hit four times. Things didn't get better from there. For the game, the team gave up five sacks and eight quarterback hits.
Surprisingly, though, these struggles didn't come up when it came to running the football. Against the NFL's sixth-best rush defense, the Skins managed to churn out 136 yards and seven first downs on the ground.
While this showing rushing the ball won't erase the mistakes in the passing game, it did spare the team's men up front a failing grade.
Grade: D+
Defensive Line
5 of 10
San Francisco may disguise it with a wide variety of formations, but it's a given every Sunday that the team will lean heavily on its running game.
This contest was no different. Of the 60 plays the Niners ran on offense, 29 were runs.
Despite being down a starter in Chris Baker, the Redskins' defensive front stepped up to the plate. San Fran didn't register a single run over eight yards. Furthermore, the team tallied just 66 yards, nearly half its season average.
Leading the charge for Washington was none other than Jason Hatcher. Not only did he garner two tackles for loss, but he contributed a sack and quarterback hit as well.
The 49ers' offensive front may not be what it used to be, but it was a startling sight to see the Skins dominate the line of scrimmage.
Grade: A
Linebackers
6 of 10
Washington's pass rush didn't make much headway in this contest. As a team, the Skins finished with just two sacks and three quarterback hits. One of which came from Ryan Kerrigan.
Still, with the team facing a dual-threat quarterback in Colin Kaepernick, containment was the main priority. And that, this position group excelled in.
Kaepernick's forays outside the pocket were unfruitful. He had 14 yards on nine carries, with his long rush being a gain of seven. Kaepernick's spy for most of the game, Keenan Robinson, led the charge here. He had a team-high eight tackles, most of which came in the open field.
Factor in Vernon Davis' limited impact, 21 yards receiving, with San Fran's porous rushing attack, and Washington's linebackers got the job done.
Grade: B
Secondary
7 of 10
And the hits keep coming. Already down David Amerson and DeAngelo Hall, Washington's secondary lost Ryan Clark, E.J. Biggers and Tracy Porter at various junctures in this contest.
Short on bodies, Trenton Robinson, Phillip Thomas and rookie Greg Ducre were forced into action as a result. Seeing his first action of the season, the play of Ducre was a revelation.
A secondary that's struggled to produce turnovers all season, the rookie wasted little time adding to the team's meager interception total:
"And CB Greg Ducre gets an INT less than 2 mins after getting into the game! That's #Redskins' 4th all season. More Ducre needed
— Liz Clarke (@lizclarketweet) November 23, 2014"
While he was again a liability in coverage—see Anquan Boldin's touchdown reception—Brandon Meriweather was solid in run support and forced a fumble.
Allowing Kaepernick to complete nearly 70 percent of his passes is certainly a blemish, but considering the team's depleted secondary, it's a forgivable offense.
Grade: B-
Special Teams
8 of 10
A week after missing two kicks, Kai Forbath redeemed himself by knocking in both of his field goal attempts. Then there's Tress Way. The NFL's top punter in punt average, Way repeatedly pinned the 49ers deep in their own territory.
In addition to averaging 46.6 yards per kick, he had three punts land inside the 20-yard line. As for the kicks that were actually returned, San Fran return man Perrish Cox averaged two yards a punt while Carlos Hyde averaged 24.5 yards per kick return.
But what was shaping up to be one of the Redskins' best showings on special teams was sullied late. Washington's offense was forced to start its final drive from its own eight-yard line after a clipping penalty on Jackson's 11-yard return.
A solid performance overall, this late gaffe can't be overlooked. And thus, the letter grade goes from great to good.
Grade: B
Coaching
9 of 10
Marred by injuries, you can't say that Jim Haslett didn't coax the most out of his defense:
"Credit to Jim Haslett for his call Down players, 2 rookie corners, safeties playing corner, 3 turnovers, Lbs playing safety #Redskins
— Dianna Marie Russini (@NBCdianna) November 24, 2014"
The 312 yards his defense allowed may not look good in the box score, but he deserves praise for limiting the big plays Washington surrendered. A week after being scorched repeatedly by the Bucs deep downfield, the Redskins gave up just three gains of 20-plus yards in this contest.
Furthermore, a unit that had just nine takeaways entering Week 12 forced three turnovers.
Shifting to the offense, the focus again shines on Gruden's usage of Griffin. Despite it being blatantly obvious that Griffin wasn't seeing the field well from the pocket, Gruden didn't use the screen game or move the pocket to help out his quarterback.
Then there's the sequence of events at the end of the first half. Opposed to calling a timeout to force a punt, Gruden allowed the 49ers to wind down the clock to 11 seconds.
With the idea that an incompletion would leave Washington with no time to score prior to the half, San Fran went for it on fourth down from midfield and subsequently converted. And with Kaepernick's 25-yard completion to Michael Crabtree, the 49ers were able to tack on a field goal prior to halftime.
While it was certainly an improvement over last week, the Skins' coaching staff still falls short of making the honor roll.
Grade: C+
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | D |
| RB | A |
| WR/TE | C |
| OL | D+ |
| DL | A |
| LB | B |
| Secondary | B- |
| Special Teams | B |
| Coaching | C+ |
| Cumulative Grade | B |
What does it say about Washington that it averted mistakes, forced turnovers and still lost?
Bringing a playoff contender to the brink of defeat is a feat in itself for this team. But when will these moral victories actually translate into progress?
Now that the playoffs are out of the realm of possibility, these are questions that need to be answered prior to the 2014 season ending.
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