The Redskins third preseason game against the Bills on Friday night had its share of highs and lows. Below are my studs and duds of the game.
Tell us If you agree or disagree in the comments section, and who your studs and duds would be.
Studs
Kirk Cousins - Kirk came out a bit rusty, but what can you expect from a guy who played in less than one quarter of the preseason so far, and threw just 5 passes. Well, Cousins wasn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination early on, but he looked sharp after settling in. His receivers didn't do much to help by dropping 4 catchable passes either. Once Cousins got into a rhythm, he spread the ball around well, and threw 3 touchdowns in the first half.
Robert Kelly - Kelly had an outstanding game both running and pass blocking. He showed surprising speed on some runs around the end, and was decisive when he went up the gut, showing his ability to stick his foot in the ground, make one cut, and get upfield. It was easily his pass blocking that impressed me the most, as he stoned defenders who broke through the line on at least 5 occasions.
DeSean Jackson - Jackson was a beast last night, showing the hard work he put in this offseason will pay off in games. He was a reliable target for Cousins during the first half, and showed the ability to make things happen in the open field after the catch. He hauled in 4 passes for 56 yards in two quarters of action.
Preston Smith - Smith was everywhere in the first half. He just missed two sacks, and had two tackles for losses, among some other tackles he was a part of. To say he was disruptive would be an understatement.
Josh Norman - The new addition to the Redskins secondary finally got significant playing time, and showed why he is considered one of the best corners in the NFL. Norman disrupted a few passes on the evening, including a would-be touchdown to Woods in the back of the endzone.
DeAngelo Hall - Hall is really coming into his own as a safety. Sure he made a bone-headed play where he was called for a personal foul, but he also made some great tackles and showed great awareness.
Duds
Morgan Moses - Moses did not look good early on, before being replaced by Ty Nsekhe(due to an injury). He gave up inside pressure that resulted in a hit on Cousins, and he was ineffective when the ball was run to the right edge. So far this preseason, Morgan, who looks to be a bit sloppy in physique, has not looked good. If this continues, Nsekhe could steal his job.
Kedric Golston - Simply put, Golston is not getting the job done at nose tackle for the Redskins. This is the third game where he has been man-handled up front, as teams continue to gash us up the middle. To me, he's a bubble player heading into cuts.
Mason Foster - I saw Foster out of position too many times Friday night, and he also seemed to be playing very re-active(vs instinctive) against the run. It's hard to make plays when you are still five yards behind the line of scrimmage when the opposing running back breaks through the line.
Kory Lichtensteiger - Man I hope Kory is not our starting center come week one. Reiter is not the answer, but hopefully Long or Stork are. Kory was called for a few penalties on Friday night, but he was also walked into the backfield on a few plays(once being almost hand delivered into Cousins lap by a Bills defender). This is an all-to-often occurrence with him, and it's about time it's put to rest for good.