Redskins Vs. Vikings - Studs and Duds

Sunday's game wasn't perfect by any means, but the Redskins exited with a much needed victory against a sound defensive squad hell-bent on breaking their recent losing streak. All three aspects of the game clicked for the Redskins, with the defense finally showing up late in the game when it mattered most.

The result?...5-3-1, and within striking position entering the second half of the season.

Below are my Studs and Duds of the game.

Studs:

Kirk Cousins - Cousins played an excellent game, completing nearly 67 percent of his passes for 262 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. His reads were spot on for most of the day, and he was incredibly accurate with his passes. His "low" throw to Crowder for the touchdown was an excellent pass!

Dustin Hopkins - Yes, kickers are people too, and on the day, Hopkins was a very important one. He was perfect on the afternoon, nailing four field goals and all his extra points. He also did a great job on kickoffs, keeping the ball out of Patterson's hands.

Ty Nsekhe - The massive left tackle did an excellent job filling in for the suspended Trent Williams. He controlled his man on the afternoon, allowing Cousins plenty of time in the pocket and opened up running lanes for Kelly and Thompson on the ground.

Rob Kelly - Fat Rob led a sound rushing attack against a very good defense, gaining 97 hard-fought yards on 22 carries. The coaches stuck with the run on the afternoon, and Kelly made those attempts count.

Vernon Davis - Davis continued his excellent season, hauling in 3 catches for 66 yards and a key touchdown. His blocking was very good as well.

Pierre Garçon/Jamison Crowder - The duo combined for 9 receptions, for 147 yards and a touchdown, but many of the catches(especially by Garçon) came at key times in a drive. Garçon also added some excellent blocking on the outside.

Preston Smith - Smith showed up against the Vikings, and in a big way. The second year player has had a slow start to his 2016 season, but he was anything but pedestrian Sunday, recording 4 tackles, 2 sacks, and a huge interception off Sam Bradford.

The Refs - Guess what, the refs let the players play, and this game was much more enjoyable to watch because of this.

Duds:

Ryan Grant - Yet again, Grant had an opportunity to step up on the big stage with DeSean Jackson out with an injured shoulder. Yet again, he defecated the bed. He recorded zero stats on the day, while dropping two catchable passes, and falling twice in his routes. He does not deserve to be on the field any longer.

Kendall Fuller - The rookie was abused in coverage by all afternoon by Stefon Diggs. Hopefully this is a learning experience for the youngster.

Will Compton - His stat line reads 9 tackles, 0.5 for a loss, but only one of those tackles was solo. Compton struggled in coverage, giving up way too many easy catches on the outside to backs and was not helping at all on the tight ends, once getting flagged for a huge penalty on 3rd and 12 against Rudolph.