NFL
By: Ryan Cooley
The Redskins couldn’t have asked for a better start. 17-0 and Lincoln Financial field was swarming with boos. They eclipsed over 250 yds in the first half and outside of a deep bomb to Jackson, the defense was shutting Wentz and the offense down.
Fast forward and the second half was nothing short of a disaster. If you take away the last drive with the Redskins scoring in garbage time, the Redskins only had 30 yds of total offense. The Eagles had the ball for 20 min and 289 yds in that time.
Here are five takeaways from their week one loss
WR’s impressed
What may have been the weakest link entering the season ended up being the only bright spot of the game. Terry McLaurin finished the game with 5 rec for 125 yds and a TD. He nearly had another big TD, but Keenum overthrew him.
Trey Quinn, Kelvin Harmon, and Paul Richardson all looked solid in their first game. Hopefully, this young receiving core can develop into a strong asset for this team.
The secondary struggled
The entire defense looked legit in the first half but then crumbled in the second. One thing I said the secondary needs to do is stick with their man. They did the exact opposite of that in the third and fourth quarter.
Wentz continually ran out of the pocket extending plays. He seemed to always find a receiver open. Alshon Jeffery ate Norman alive, and Landon Collins was nowhere to be seen. This secondary must do better if this team wants to find any success in 2019.
The running game
The biggest story this upcoming week will be why Adrian Peterson was inactive. In Guice’s NFL debut he only averaged 1.8 yds per carry. Many will call for AP to start next week. Starting Guice was the right move, and he should start the rest of this season.
Though his stats were left to be desired, Guice looked good. Most of his carries were met with 2-3 Eagles right in his face. Instead of complaining about AP, not dressing, fans should be more upset with the offensive line or lack thereof.
Keenum should be the starter
Keenum finished the day with a completion percentage of 68%, 380 yds, 3 TDs, and a 115 QB rating. While most of his work came in the first half, this game was not lost because of him. He wasn’t perfect, but he exceeded expectations.
Those wanting to see Haskins take the reins may need to be patient a little longer. At this point, Keenum deserves to be the signal-caller of this team. He gives the Redskins the best opportunity to win. Haskins is the future of this team but now is not his time.
Injuries
It wouldn’t be a Redskins game without multiple injuries. It got started with Johnathan Allen going down and not returning. Next was Dunbar and then DRC. While these injuries were not serious, it is a sign that the Skins may not escape the injury bug once again.
Hopefully, Reed and Allen will be back for another big division game against the Cowboys.
