Redskins vs. Colts: Full Report Card Grades for Washington
With the franchise's designated savior watching from the sidelines, the Washington Redskins got a bird's-eye view at what a star quarterback is supposed to look like in their 49-27 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
In a game that featured over 900 total yards of offense, you could say that defense was optional. Unable to capitalize on three early turnovers, the Redskins dug themselves a hole and in turn were unable to keep up with the Colts' high-powered offense.
Despite running just five offensive plays, Indy managed to score 21 points in the pivotal third quarter.
The team's fourth consecutive loss, where did it all go wrong for the Redskins?
Let's find out. Here are the full report card grades for Washington.
All stats courtesy of ESPN.com.
Quarterback
1 of 10
The way he started this contest, it was hard to distinguish Colt McCoy's play from the man he replaced, Robert Griffin III.
At one point in the second quarter, McCoy was directing an offense that had 19 yards to the Colts' 21 points. Given prime field position on the back of three forced turnovers from his defense, McCoy only managed three points.
But similar to his outing against the Dallas Cowboys, his production picked up late. For the game, McCoy completed 31 of 47 passes for 392 yards and a career-high three touchdowns.
Akin to his predecessors, though, negative plays were an issue for McCoy. He was sacked six times and fumbled the ball four times, losing one.
A performance that teetered the line between good and bad, McCoy will find his grade squarely in the middle.
Grade: C+
Running Back
2 of 10
Maybe it was Griffin's presence all along.
Coming off his best performance of the season—against the vaunted San Francisco 49ers defense, no less—Alfred Morris posted numbers against the Colts that eerily resembled the middling stats he had prior to Griffin's return.
On 17 carries, he had 67 yards. Take away the lone explosive play he had on the day, a 21-yarder, and his average per rush is south of three yards.
Looking at his battery mate, Roy Helu made an impact as a receiver. He had four receptions for 61 yards and a touchdown.
While the score played a role in the team only gaining 84 yards rushing, evidenced by its inability to convert in short-yardage situations, this wasn't one of Washington's better games on the ground.
Grade: C
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Poor Pierre Garcon. His record-setting 2013 season has to seem like a distant memory at this point.
With two of his better outings coming with McCoy at quarterback, one had to be encouraged at his chances of breaking out of his season-long slump. Well, it didn't happen. Targeted nine times, Garcon hauled in three passes for nine yards.
While he struggled to get going, the same can't be said for Jordan Reed and DeSean Jackson.
Reed had season highs in receptions and yards. Finishing with nine catches for 122 yards, this outing was one of the rare occasions this year in which he's resembled his rookie form.
As for Jackson, the big plays kept coming. Highlighted by a 42-yard touchdown, Jackson had five receptions for 84 yards prior to exiting the game with an injury.
Seeing his first extensive action in 2014, even Santana Moss got involved. He had three catches for 30 yards. All told, facing a porous Indianapolis secondary, Washington's receivers lived up to their end of the bargain.
Grade: B+
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
You know who missed Griffin the most? Washington's offensive line.
As poor as this unit has played this season, it was Griffin at times who drew the most criticism for the team's high sack total. Seeing that McCoy was sacked six and hit another nine times, though, this excuse is officially null and void.
Slowed by an injury that kept him out of last week's game, Trent Williams was one of the main culprits, per 106.7 The Fan's Grant Paulsen:
"Trent Williams has been flagged and has given up a sack/fumble early in game. Coming back from injury. Looks like he's not close to 100%.
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) November 30, 2014"
Then there's the run game. You already know about the 84 yards rushing this team tallied, but what about the mishap along the goal line?
Given two cracks from the 1-yard line to get in the end zone late in the third quarter, Washington's offensive line was, to be blunt, manhandled. The team actually lost a yard on the two plays, and the end result was a failed fourth-down pass from McCoy to Reed.
Coupled with the inability to pick up the Colts' delayed blitzes, the play of this unit warrants a failing grade.
Grade: F
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The Colts' issues running the ball are well-documented. Minus Ahmad Bradshaw, one would expect for the team's already-feeble rushing attack to be even less effective against the Skins' ninth-ranked rushing defense. Right?
Well, Dan Herron begs to differ. On just eight carries, the second-year back had 88 yards on the ground. With his 48-yard touchdown, he registered the longest rush against Washington's defense this season.
Surrendering 126 rushing yards on the game, Washington's defensive line simply didn't get the job done.
Grade: D
Linebacker
6 of 10
How often is this going to be said this season? Washington's pass rush was nonexistent.
The Skins' first and last sack was on the game's first play. On Andrew Luck's 27 pass attempts, he was hit just two times. Considering how long his passes were going for, this number is even more troubling.
A week after containing Colin Kaepernick, the team's linebackers failed to keep Luck in the pocket. In addition to extending plays with his legs, he rushed for 20 yards and picked up a pair of first downs.
All told, from the missed tackles to their inability to pressure Luck, it was a porous performance from the team's linebackers.
Grade: D
Secondary
7 of 10
Injuries can only explain so much. The likes of DeAngelo Hall, Tracy Porter and E.J. Biggers may have been absent, but the manner in which the Washington secondary allowed 370 passing yards is simply inexcusable.
Speaking to Brian McNally of 106.7 The Fan after the game, Ryan Clark summarized his team's plight in this area:
"#Redskins safety Ryan Clark on continued secondary miscommunications: "It’s embarrassing. It’s not frustrating. It’s embarrassing. Period."
— Brian McNally (@bmcnally14) November 30, 2014"
Not only did Luck average over 13 yards per completion, but four of his five touchdown passes were over 30 yards. Heck, two were over 70 yards.
Reaping the benefits of his opponent's misfortunes was one Coby Fleener. He caught four passes for 127 yards and two scores.
On his first score, he was left uncovered and walked into the end zone. In typical Washington fashion, this actually occurred again—the difference being that he dropped a sure touchdown.
Not to be forgotten, rookie Donte Moncrief had three catches, 134 yards and two touchdowns.
With games against Eli Manning and Tony Romo left on the schedule, one has to ponder if this will even be the low point of this maligned group.
Grade: F
Special Teams
8 of 10
Is it a compliment if you say a team punts well?
Well, despite how frequently he does it, consistency doesn't seem to be a problem for punter Tress Way. He averaged 46.5 yards a punt, with three of six punts landing inside the 20-yard line.
As for the other resident kicker, Kai Forbath connected on both of his field goals. The return coverage could have been better, as Joshua Cribbs averaged 31.2 yards per kick return, but all in all, it was another run-of-the-mill performance for this position group.
Grade: B-
Coaching
9 of 10
Harboring back to the Skins' mishaps on defense, you can't help but point the finger at defensive coordinator Jim Haslett.
For one, what was Haslett doing putting linebacker Everette Brown in one-on-one coverage—not his strength—with Fleener on his 73-yard touchdown?
While you could say the execution of schemes and plays falls on the players, the frequency of these mistakes on Washington's defense, namely the secondary, falls at the feet of Haslett. Per ESPN.com's John Keim:
"The blown coverages are a weekly issue. Yes, that's not just on the players.
— John Keim (@john_keim) November 30, 2014"
Shifting to the offensive side of the ball, the same can be said about the Redskins' propensity for slow starts. Whether it be McCoy's showing today, his first start against the Dallas Cowboys or Griffin's in Week 11, it seems to take Jay Gruden's offense a whole half to get into rhythm.
Then, specifically, there's his choice of play calls in crucial situations. Opposed to running the football, Gruden elected to call a play-action pass on 4th-and-inches, and the end result was a sack and a 35-yard fumble-return touchdown by the Colts.
Along the goal line, despite the success he had running outside the tackles, he chose to run Morris up the middle—the weakness of his offensive line—on consecutive plays. As The Washington Post's Mike Jones notes, this wasn't exactly the wisest idea:
"Really? Running up the middle against Chapman and Arthur Jones on back to back plays not the greatest recipe for success.
— Mike Jones (@MikeJonesWaPo) November 30, 2014"
A drive that culminated with a failed fourth-down fade to Reed, Gruden's play-calling overall was underwhelming.
With the team seemingly regressing in recent weeks, it's hard to imagine this coaching staff remaining fully intact once this season comes to a close.
Grade: F
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | C+ |
| RB | C |
| WR/TE | B+ |
| OL | F |
| DL | D |
| LB | D |
| Secondary | F |
| Special Teams | B- |
| Coaching | F |
| Cumulative Grade | D |
Well, there's always next year. At 3-9, that's all you can really say at this point about the Redskins. And from the looks of things, the future may not be much brighter.
The team may finally have a first-round pick, but as evidenced by the litany of injuries Washington has suffered this season, it's going to take years to bolster the depth of this roster.
As the season winds down, you can expect Gruden to usher in a youth movement to find out which players are keepers for 2015 and beyond.
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