Miami Dolphins vs. Washington Redskins: Washington Grades, Notes and Quotes

Even with a different quarterback under center, the Washington Redskins suffered an all-too-familiar fate in their season opener.

Washington blew a 10-point first-half lead and ultimately fell 17-10 to the Miami Dolphins, with Jarvis Landry's 69-yard punt return touchdown deciding the final margin.

Starting in place of displaced franchise quarterback Robert Griffin III, Kirk Cousins threw for 196 yards and a touchdown.

Living up to his reputation as a turnover-prone quarterback, he also threw two interceptions. Carrying over their run-first approach from the preseason, the Redskins tallied 161 yards on the ground and held a 15-minute advantage in time of possession.

In the loss, a valiant defensive performance was wasted on Washington's end. Miami scored on just one of its three trips to the red zone and finished with a meager 256 yards of total offense.

Moving past the recap, here are the postgame grades, notes and quotes for the Redskins.

Position Grades for Washington

Evan Vucci/Associated Press

Position	Grade
QB	C
RB	A-
WR/TE	C+
OL	B+
DL	B+
LB	B
DB	C
Special Teams	D-
Coaching	B

In lieu of his history, the talk of Cousins being a game manager seemed laughable. With a second-quarter interception being the exception, he actually looked the part for most of the afternoon.

Cousins completed 21 of 31 passes, engineering multiple drives of 10-plus plays. One of the worst teams at converting third downs a season ago, Washington was 6-of-14 on third down under his direction.

When it came time to bring the team back from a deficit, though, Cousins came up short. Brice McCain's interception of Cousins along the goal line ended the Redskins' comeback bid and highlighted the second-half shutout of their offense.

Moving to the backfield, the team was relentless running the football. Alfred Morris posted 121 yards on 25 carries. With Chris Thompson and Matt Jones also contributing, Washington had 161 yards as a team.

During the early stages of the game, the team's receiving corps took a big hit. DeSean Jackson left the contest with a hamstring injury. In his absence, Pierre Garcon and Jordan Reed picked up the slack.

Reed had seven receptions, 63 yards and a touchdown. For his part, Garcon hauled in six of eight targets and finished with 74 yards receiving.

Against the Dolphins' vaunted defensive line, Washington's offensive front more than held its own.

In addition to paving rushing lanes, it kept Cousins upright, as he was sacked just once. And through the use of double teams and chop blocks, the team held star defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh to one tackle.

On the defensive side of the ball, Washington kept the Miami offense flustered and one-dimensional for most of the game. Late in the first half, the Dolphins had all of two rushing yards.

Moving to more of a spread look in the second half, they were able find success on the ground against the Skins' nickel defense, finishing with 74 yards for the game.

Miami's rushing game became enough of a threat that it kept an effective Washington pass rush at bay late. Its defense tallied three sacks, with Preston Smith's strip sack and recovery being the highlight.

When Ryan Tannehill wasn't under pressure, though, he found an array of receivers running free in the secondary. Chief among them was Landry. Working from the slot, Landry took advantage of Bashaud Breeland's absence and racked up eight receptions.

From a coaching perspective, it was disappointing to see the Skins not challenge Miami's receivers at the line of scrimmage. Tannehill showed little inclination to throw the ball downfield, and Washington's secondary played right into his hands.

Even with that said, with the balance the team had on offense, head coach Jay Gruden and company put Cousins in position to succeed. 

Lastly, there's special teams. What is there to say? Kai Forbath's missed field goal and Landry's return touchdown effectively lost the game.

Jamison Crowder showed promise as a punt returner with 23 yards on two returns. But all in all, the Redskins' special teams stands out as the weak link.

Important Note No. 1: Washington's Run-First Offense

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Talk is cheap, but in light of the performance of Washington's running backs in Week 1, it's evident general manager Scot McCloughan wasn't kidding when he said he wanted to employ a physical ground game. 

Following a 2014 campaign in which the team ranked 21st in rushing attempts, Washington set the tone of this contest with its running game.

The team holding the ball nearly 38 minutes speaks to this. Oh, and so does Morris' workload. In the first half alone, he had 16 carries. To put this in perspective, he had seven games last year without that many touches.

In total, the team had 37 rushes to 31 passes. With ball security being an issue for Cousins, this is a formula the team will have to utilize all season long.

Important Note No. 2: Jackson Exits with an Injury

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

From Ryan Kerrigan and Junior Galette to Niles Paul and Breeland, injuries dominated Washington's offseason.

Who were we to think the regular season would be any different?

In this one, Jackson became the latest high-profile Redskin to go down with an injury. Reaching for an overthrown pass from Cousins, Jackson pulled up lame, immediately grabbing his left hamstring.

Forced to engineer long drives, Washington clearly missed the big-play element Jackson brings to the table. In addition, his absence allowed the Dolphins to load the box without consequence.

With the team unable to replicate what Jackson contributes, his injury status is something to monitor going forward.

Quote No. 1: No Moral Victory

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

For three quarters, the Redskins were the better team in this contest. Unfortunately, they didn't win the quarter that matters most.

Sound familiar? It did to Cousins, per ESPN.com:

"

We battled and came up short. I guess we're all pretty tired of that around here. We've done that too many times. So eventually the tables need to turn. The tide needs to be turned. And we need a day like today to end up having us be on top at the end.

"

There are plenty of positives to take away from this game, but the bottom line is Washington lost, again!

When the positives are few and far between, it's easy to cling to them. Truth be told, though, for the losing culture embedded in Washington to dissipate, moral victories can't be accepted.

Quote No. 2: Brandon Scherff Shows He Belongs

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Opposite players the caliber of Suh, Cameron Wake and Earl Mitchell, rookie Brandon Scherff was rightfully cast as a wild card in this matchup.

His play in the preseason was uneven, with his performance against the Detroit Lions highlighting his struggles to transition to the NFL game.

Consider it water under the bridge. Cousins' quick trigger aided him in his matchup—along with his cohorts up front—but Scherff held his own versus Suh, holding him to one tackle and no sacks.

This wasn't lost on Cousins either.

"I was thrilled with what a rookie in Brandon Scherff was able to do against one of the best players in the NFL. Very, very pleased," he said postgame (h/t Gabe Hiatt of the Washington Post).

With another tough matchup on the horizon against the vaunted front seven of the St. Louis Rams, the team has to hope Scherff can carry this performance over to the next game.