St. Louis Rams vs. Washington Redskins: Washington Grades, Notes and Quotes
With the foul taste of last year's shutout loss to the St. Louis Rams still resonating, the Washington Redskins exacted revenge in the form of a 24-10 victory.
For a second consecutive week, Washington was outright dominant in the first half. Behind 132 rushing yards, the team held a 17-point lead at the break.
On the game, the Skins churned out 182 of 373 total yards on the ground. Rookie Matt Jones led the way with 123 yards and two touchdowns, the latter of which put the game out of reach for St. Louis.
Dominated at the point of attack, the Rams were only able to muster 213 yards of offense against Washington's defense.
Moving past the recap, here are the postgame grades, notes and quotes for the Redskins.
Position Grades for Washington
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| Position | Grade |
| QB | B |
| RB | A |
| WR/TE | B |
| OL | A- |
| DL | B+ |
| LB | B |
| DB | B |
| Special Teams | B |
| Coaching | A |
Flashy plays were hard to come by for Kirk Cousins in this one, but he was every bit the game manager. He completed 23 of 27 passes for 203 yards and a touchdown. In what has to be a first, he played turnover-free football.
Despite being opposed by a loaded St. Louis front seven, Washington's running game controlled this contest from the coin flip. With Alfred Morris and Jones splitting 37 carries, the team averaged 4.9 yards per carry.
Bringing an explosive element to the table, each back turned in a run of 35-plus yards as well.
Down DeSean Jackson, the team's receiving corps operated in the short-to-intermediate area. For the game, the Skins averaged 8.8 yards per reception. Catching all six of his targets for 82 yards, Jordan Reed was the standout here.
Pierre Garcon only mustered 23 yards receiving, but he hauled in the lone touchdown pass.
Now to the offensive line. Where to begin? A week after tormenting Russell Wilson, to the tune of six sacks and nine quarterback hits, the Rams' pass-rushers were stifled at the point of attack by Washington's hogs up front.
On 29 dropbacks, Cousins was sacked twice and hit four other times. Then there's the team's dominant rushing performance. Projected to be overwhelmed early on with Brandon Scherff and Morgan Moses earning their stripes, the offensive line has been quite the surprise two weeks in.
Moving to the defensive side of the ball, Washington never enabled St. Louis to get into a rhythm.
Making his season debut, Tre Mason managed only 26 yards. For the game the Rams would net just 67 yards on the ground.
Nick Foles was only sacked once, but he was flushed countless times from the pocket. Despite being down their top corner, Chris Culliver, the Skins surrendered just 146 yards through the air. With the exception of a 40-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Britt, the secondary was never threatened.
On special teams, Tavon Austin was completely neutralized. Tress Way sacrificed yardage by adding more hang time to his punts. But in the process, Austin was unable to return any of his six punts.
Using three tight ends throughout the game, in addition to spreading the Rams out, head coach Jay Gruden and his coaching staff devised an excellent strategy to attack the St. Louis run defense.
With the team running the ball 37 times, Cousins was given manageable third downs to work with.
Important Note No.1: Cousins' Long-Awaited Victory
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Technically, Cousins entered this contest 2-8 as a starter. Keep this in mind, though, his second victory came over the Tennessee Titans in 2014. You know, the game he was benched in favor of Colt McCoy.
Put an asterisk on that win!
Therefore, you'd have to go back to 2012 to find the last time Washington won with Cousins at quarterback—from start to finish, anyway. In his first NFL start, he led his team to a 38-21 victory.
And if we're talking turnover-free football, his outing against the Seattle Seahawks last year is his only other occurrence.
With that said, the formula for winning going forward is rather simple. Protect the football. Keep it up, Cousins.
Important Note No. 2: Nothing but Time
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One of the worst defenses in the NFL in 2014, Washington's defense has looked drastically different through two games.
Excluding Jarvis Landry's punt-return touchdown, the team has held both of its opponents to 10 points.
While the additions brought in this offseason—Terrance Knighton, Preston Smith, Stephen Paea and Dashon Goldson—have played a part in this turnaround, the biggest difference-maker has been the offense.
Or rather, the time it's expending. For a second consecutive week, the offense chewed up over 37 minutes of game clock.
The opposing offense can't score if doesn't have the ball, right? If it's not in rhythm, right?
In a division in which no-huddle offenses are the norm, the Skins have before them the perfect remedy to combat them.
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Quote No. 1: Dominant Running Game
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After seeing the Rams stifle the Seahawks, the NFL's top running team in 2014, the thinking was that Washington would struggle to duplicate its performance from Week 1.
Struggle it didn't. The Skins actually exceeded their rushing total in the season opener, with 182 yards.
How'd they do it? According to Morris, via ESPN's John Keim, it all came down to forcing the Rams to play Washington's game.
"Once we started doing it wen we're seeing blitzes. We gashed them and they stopped bringing pressure. We took them out of what they usually do. They had to play a different game and it helped us," Morris said.
On the second and third carries of the game, Morris and Jones both broke off runs north of 30 yards. With the Rams ratcheting back the amount of pressure they sent, Cousins was under little duress when he stepped back to pass.
In the event the Redskins continue to impose their will to run on opposing defenses, this could become a familiar theme.
Quote No. 2: Important Win
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When it comes to eradicating a losing culture, every win is important. Speaking postgame, per ESPN's John Keim, Gruden echoed this sentiment.
"Important win," he said. "To go 0-2 at home is difficult to overcome."
If last season is to be any indicator, though, difficult is an understatement. None of last year's playoff participants started 0-2.
Additionally, save the Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers, none of the 2014 playoff teams sported more than two home losses.
So fact is, Week 2 or not, this was a must-win game for Washington. With three of their next four games on the road, it'll be important for the Skins to play with this level of urgency going forward.
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